Battle Damage Help

[wargar]

Hi,

I want to put some damage on my tanks, like bent mud guards and skirts. What is the best way to do this, ie, diect heat (flame) or hot air. I've held off doing this as if it goes wrong it's a lot of time and money wasted, however I do like the used rather than showroom look so I will have to take the plunge at some stage.

Cheers

Dave

[Mackem]

Hi Dave,

If it's the stock HL plastic you are going to bend I wouldn't use direct heat such as a flame. Far safer and easier to use a soldering iron to gently heat the plastic then shape it the way you want with a screw driver or something.

Cheers
John

[swathdiver]

On our Tigers we cut off all the mud guards and thin them by sanding them down.  Then bend with heat (soldering iron) and glue them back on with CA.

Note:  The pics posted are of an Initial Production Tiger of sPz.Abt. 501 in Tunisia.  They had 2 piece track guards on the sides.

[STEINER]

Hello Dave

John is right don't use direct heat. For my fenders/mud guards on my Tiger, I used a modeling saw and cut each section along the panel line, then I used a heat gun on a low setting and moved it back and forth along each section. As the plastic becomes pliable you can shape it. I used the handle of  a wooden spoon, to shape mine. Be careful with the heat though !!

Here is a link from RCU  http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8670202/anchors_8677089/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#8677089

I might be taken out, and offered a Blind fold,  and shot for posting that. Only joking Matt.  RCU would bin you if you tried to post links from our forum.

STEINER.

[littletankman]

Hi there,
I second Steiners method . I did mine that way its easy and very effective.

Littletankman

[Ex_Pat_Tanker]

I might be taken out, and offered a Blind fold,  and shot for posting that.

"Due to the current state of the economy and the recent budget cuts, the management is no longer able to offer the option of a blindfold, or even a firing squad for that matter...
Users will be handed a shovel and requested to dig their own grave, before jumping in to said hole and offing themselves with said shovel.
A member of staff will then retrieve the shovel, after which we inform the local council that some idiot has dug a hole and they should come quick to fill it in as we might fall in and get hurt - and then be 'forced' to sue for compensation...

We thank all users for their co-operation in these difficult times."


Mart

[wibblywobbly]

I use a dremel to 'thin' the armour, and then a soldering iron. It leaves a nice ragged adge.