Hi all:

Well, I'm currently working on the 1/35 Academy Stuart Honey. I was adding all the deck details yesterday and had the misfortune of breaking both headlight guards. I tried CA gluing them back together, but the pieces are so thin that any small flexing pops them apart again. They are now starting to look pretty crappy. Does anyone know how I could acquire some spares? I'd even go photoetch if I have to, but I didn't want to buy a full detail set as I was planning on building this one pretty much out of the box. I'd hate to spend the money on more pieces than I plan to use.

Any advice is most appreciated.

Thanks!

John

You could go a few routes to scratch build your own.
- Cut down a soda can to make your own.
- Use sheet styrene and dunk it in hot water and bend it around a wooden mold.
- Or use some heavy paper stock.

Ont op of what Scott correctly ponted out, I've found at architects supply shops brass strips with a width of .75 mm or 1mm and .25 or .5 mm thick and 25 cm long. They're made in the US, but I cannot remember the brand.
They're just perfect for the headlight guards...
Ciao

Thanks Guys!

I'll make some up and post pics for your approval.

I appreciate the tips!

Thanks again,

John

PE detail sets are available from Eduard and AFV and a third company has a very small PE set for about $5. Do a search over at http://www.Greatmodels.com under M3 Stuart.

Hi John,
I had the same thing happen to me. I also made some pretty pathetic attempts to glue the tiny pieces back together. I finally realized that scratchbuilding was the only option I had. I tried to find some thin brass strips but the shop had none in stock. I bought a thin brass sheet and cut it into strips. I scribed notches where the ends of the main "U" shape guard fit onto the strip that is molded onto the top of the fender, and glued it into place. I then glued the side support pieces onto this (with a lot of test fitting of course). The back ends of the side supports are bent to lay flat on top of the fender, with the head of a bolt or rivet added to the center. I think the end result was better then the original pieces, which were too thick in cross-section. The model is shown in the gallery at WW2MM. Hope this helps. Semper Fi,

Matt Hufnal

The brass or metal parts trees that are left over after using a PE set are good for this sort of thing. I've used them to make spare equipment brackets and spare track brackets, although they are a little thin for the latter.