Hi All,
Being only three kits back into the hobby after decades off, I was wondering what others do to solve the problem of barrel droop. (I even had this problem in my teens)

Most kits come with the ability to articulate the barrel, but I find after a few side and up and down movements (to get the paint in those crannies), my barrel becomes rather limp. I've tried bracing across the supports inside with masking tape, but this only lasted temporarily and will not be appropriate if I want to display the interior.

I'd be grateful for any tips or tricks (other than a blue pill or a vacuum pump) to increase my weapons' staying power.

Regards, Lucien

you could try to balance out the weight, glue something heavy on the backside of the gun (the breech block or something like that) If your kit comes without these parts, glue something like a short piece of rod to the backside of the gun to create an lever. You basically want to create a seesaw which is balanced enough so the limited friction in the pivot point keeps the barrel stable.

cheers,

Matthijs

It's what comes with age I'm afraid...


On the other hand, I've found a strip or two of evergreen styrene glued across the back of the mounting and secured to the turret interior holds it in the position I want. Same result as your masking tape but more permanent.

Bearing grease.

...and here I thought I'd strayed into a Carry On film forum!

Seriously, I add some Evergreen plastic strips to each side of the gun at the pivots until it is very tight against the mountings. Add the same amount each side so it stays centred...

Tom

I just glue it in place. However, before I started doing this, I tried stuffing the inside of the breech with plasticine. It didn't work.

If you can somehow access the pivot points, you can use thick CA...
Just put a very small drop connecting the pin and bearing surface, then keep working the gun through its range of motion until the CA is dry. This should retighten the movement without freezing the gun in place.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'll try a few of them and post my results.

Pardon the multiple double entendres in the original query. I posted it after doing a night shift and my wife reckons I turn into Benny Hill when I'm sleep deprived.

Lucien