As you may have guessed from the title, my headlight guards for my M-88 are now broken.....both of them. I'm so pissed I could nearly throw the whole thing out the window!! How in the world do they expect me to be able to first: get them off the sprue, second: clean them up without destroying them? I do appreciate AFV's efforts to make these parts in scale but damn! anyone who's built this kit knows what I'm talking about. So guys, HELP!, what do I do now that they're broken? Are they available in PE? I don't solder, don't have brass for it anyway, and I can't scratchbuild good enough to make them out of strips. sorry I'm really really pissed right now.

Grifter...
I'm currently doing an M5A1 Stuart, and I had the same problem til I got a decent set of side sprue cutters... I used to resign myself to twisting them off and fixing the f**kups afterwards, but I got a $4 cheap pair from Radio Shack of all places, and it makes all the difference in the world... nice clean cut an almost no sanding afterwards needed....

Eduard makes a set of PE for M88.. I don't know if there are headlight guards included though. If not I would suggest trying to scratchbuild those from copper wire...

Mario M.

I was actually using a good set of sprue cutters with these parts. One broke when I was trying to sand it, the other broke during removal from the sprue, and another was badly bent from the box. I know I could get new ones from AFV probably, but I'd still have to do this all over again.
Also, I've looked through Eduard's site and can't find any listing for M-88...does anyone know the part number maybe?

I have done the same thing. I've written to AFV to get the PE ones for the 'nam era version.

The same thing happened to me on my current build. Both the headlight guards on the Dragon T-72M2 were mangled the first time I opened the box (it actually looks more like an underpour in the molding process).

With much trepidation, I scratchbuilt replacements out of brass rod and styrene. They didn't turn out half bad.

If you have access to flat strip styrene,you can make the parts yourself,and just glue em together. No soldering.
I almost had the same problem,I just cut and cleaned very slowly

Military Model Preview once had an offer to anyone who could remove them without breaking. If you look in the motor pool M88 album, making styrene strip ones should be easy. Or I bet the Eduard PE set might correct this (if there is one).

The only way to cut headlights out of the sprue without breaking them is with laser...




I've got PE headlights in my Vietnam M88, so if you wrote to AFV Club I presume they could help you out with those, perhaps even send you the PE replacements.. The Eduard set is listed on GreatModels, but I don't know if it is available any more.

Mario M.

Looked at Eduard and aber could not find a set but I bet that Verlinden might have one I think they use too

Couldn't you try to build em from copper wire?
If you bend em you could show them as damaged anyway....a few scratches/ dent near the site would remedy that!

Headlight guards are flat sections of bent metal. PE or styrene strips are your best bet.

Well it looks like writing AFV is my only option....I didn't know the other kit had PE light guards. It seems they aren't available in aftermarket form any longer. Thanks for the input everyone!