Hi all

I need a bit of help ..
I want to scratch build a set of louvers for an engine deck
is there a sure fire way to do this
can any one serge st a link or a method ?

Thanks

I don't know of there is such a thing as a 'sure fire' way to do it ....

Which vehicle or type of louvres are we talking about ?
M113 or the Soviet T-28 tank? They are sort of different in structure or coarseness ...
/ Robin

Evergreen Styrene offers clapboard siding in white sheet styrene in a variety of spacings which can pass for flat louvers. You can scribe the edges of the raised areas gently to create some undercut, if you wish.

Like Robin said, it depends on the vehicle. If they are fairly flat you might get away with Evergreen's clapboard siding - it comes in different ridge-spacings so one of them might be ok. (I'm looking at doing some myself for a project, based on the deck from an M48A1, and the 0.050" spacing looks about right...)

If they need to be more open, then you could laminate a series of plastic strips together to make them. If they don't need to be see-through you can use strips of smaller stock between the louvres to get the spacing, but if you need them completely see-through then it has to be a framework with the louvres supported at the ends only. Bear in mind that certainly many US louvres were actually made from curved or angled slats so stuff couldn't just pass through. (Think "venetian blind" here, where in section the blind is a stack of curved slats.)

Hope this helps a little!

I use the thinnest evergreen sheet, and draw the vertical "break" lines in with a pencil at the appropriate interval. Then I draw the horizontal top and bottom of the louver in with another line. Using a very sharp #11 blade and a ruler, I cut the "break" lines at an angle just enough to cut through the plastic making a fine "slit", then bending the sheet a little, I work some flat tipped tweezers through each of these "slits" bending them up in turn. Once bent, I apply a tiny drop of Tamiya extra thin liquid cement-- just enough to soften the plastic so the plastic "remembers" the bend. When dry I turn the lovers over and coat the inside with thin cyanoacrylate on the inside surface to keep the shape and add some stability. This method will also work with thin sheet brass (you can't use the Tamiya though) or other metals like foil or lead sheet, but durability is more difficult with the latter two. Depending on the type of louver, you may need to cut thin strips of Evergreen or metal to line the inside of the louver a bit, so you don't get a complete "see through" effect. This method really works best for vehicle 1/35 scale and larger.
VR, Russ

http://modelgeek.kitmaker.net/features/1240

A brief SBS account of one method to scratch build the louvers.