MichelR666 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Hi,I've been having a hard time with the Airfix Supacat Jaguar I started a couple of days ago. In step 7, you'd think this would be the easiest thing: Gluing two large(ish) parts together. However, even using super glue, one end of the other kept coming apart.So this morning I figured that maybe it just wasn't set properly (even though I couldn't see anything wrong) and decided to split both parts and start over. I had one set of wheels on the assembly and when forcing a little to break the end that "was behaving", I knocked off one of the wheels. Of course that wasn't a clean break and some of the tiny parts that held the wheel were broken.What are my options here? These parts are so small that I don't know if superglue will be enough, so I'm wondering how people usually go about repairing something like this?Thanks,Michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironsides Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I dont know how much experience you have but generally I wouldn't use superglue to glue a polystyrene kit together, but rather a liguid polystyrene cement applied with a brush, percision poly or tube cement for items often smaller reguiring a thicker glue..With large parts this might require something to hold the parts together while the glue sets such as clamps or rubber bands etc... Super glue.... umm not normally as it has a mind of its own and quality can vary enormously, that is except on non polystyrene items metal, resin etc, and would use a CA gel such as "Ultra Gel" (Loctite, Pattex etc) as it doesn't run about everywhere else and should work well enough to fix small broken parts....-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 "Supacat" - Did you mean "Sepecat"? In which case is this the 1/72 scale Airfix tool or the 1/48 scale Heller tool? Or is it a 1/32 scale car kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelR666 Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 Thanks. I did clamp the two parts together for a couple of hours while doing something else, but after a few minutes one of the sides would just come unglued. After a couple of tries I figured something was off.I'm just getting back into this stuff this year, so let's label me a beginner. This is my fourth model, but it's the first time I've broken something other than a small antenna. This being a wheel, it's pretty bad. :) I have two types of glue:- Testors Plastic Cement- Bob Smith Industries "Plastic-Cure"Plastic-Cure is the one I called a super glue. The guy at the Hobby Centre recommended it for gluing painted parts since the Testors glue wasn't great at holding such parts together. It says "cyanoacrylate" on the bottle.I just finished taking a closer look at the "break" (two, actually) and it's really not a clean break. Amputation may be necessary. :(P.S. I wrote Supacat Jaguar, but it's Jackal. Maybe I should have stayed in bed this morning. :)Thanks,Michel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelR666 Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 "Supacat" - Did you mean "Sepecat"? In which case is this the 1/72 scale Airfix tool or the 1/48 scale Heller tool? Or is it a 1/32 scale car kit?Sorry, it's Supacat Jackal. I wrote Jaguar by mistake. It's an armored vehicle, not a plane. It's a 1/48 Airfix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmcabecadas Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I use Araldite, if needed. The parts are held in place with a support and attached to the support with rubber bands. I need to use it for plastic undercarriages included with metal airplanes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 It seems to me you have broken the pin at the end of an axel that goes into the centre of the wheel. When this happens I normally use a very fine drill mounted in a pin-vice to drill a hole in the centre of the wheel and another in the axel. I then push a small length of copper wire of the right diameter into the holes and superglue everything together.This gives a repair that is reasonably strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelR666 Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 It seems to me you have broken the pin at the end of an axel that goes into the centre of the wheel. When this happens I normally use a very fine drill mounted in a pin-vice to drill a hole in the centre of the wheel and another in the axel. I then push a small length of copper wire of the right diameter into the holes and superglue everything together.This gives a repair that is reasonably strong.Yeah, I think it will have to be something like that from looking at the broken parts more closely. Just no way to hold the wheel and axle together with anything so they'll stick in their current state. I'm still waiting for the pin-vice I ordered (coming from Japan - didn't notice that when I ordered from Amazon *Canada* - lol). So I think I'll put this one aside for now and get to work on one of my other kits for now. Good thing I bought a few. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenneth ONeill Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Cheers; I've never built 1/48 scale armour so have no specific idea about this kit.More generally, cyanoacrylate is often known as "superglue". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelR666 Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 Thanks. Since this stuff is small, I've been debating whether I should bring the parts over to my local store (The Hobby Centre) and ask them for advice (easier to do when you can see the broken parts in person, I guess). The guys there are pretty knowledgeable. I'm thorn: I know if I go there that there's no way I'm not walking out with a couple of other kits. lol Last time I was "just there to buy paint" and ended up walking out with a plane, a tank and a couple of accessories.I could use the excuse that my birthday is about 10 days away... It's all coming together!!! 😎I am a sick, sick man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailorman Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 You can NEVER have enough unbuilt kits. Unfortunately wives, (and mum's), just don't seem to understand this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelR666 Posted December 31, 2016 Author Share Posted December 31, 2016 You can NEVER have enough unbuilt kits. Unfortunately wives, (and mum's), just don't seem to understand this!Fortunately I only have to answer to me. :)I had decided to start on an Airfix Heinkel He111 but ended up going to the store today and showed the damage to the owner. He suggested amputating a tiny part of the axle so I could glue the wheel back on. Holding it in place long enough for the glue to set would have been a problem, so I got some "Insta-Set" accelerator that was suggested by a modeller who was also at the store. I was skeptical when he said the glue would set instantly as soon as I sprayed the accelerator. Got home, fixed the axle as suggested, put the glue on, sprayed the accelerator and just let the wheel go. To my pleasant surprise, this thing actually worked! So the wheel is now fixed and you have to look closely to see that it's a bit off as a result of the "amputation" of a little chunk of the axle.Of course I walked out with some new stuff: Testors Panavia Tornada, Revell F-101B Voodoo (but I also but the Canadian decals for that one) and a Trumpeter J-7A fighter (Chinese MiG-21 copy). That's on top of the Zvezda Kamov Ka-50, Mil Mi-35 and Tupolev Tu-154 that I ordered on eBay. I should be good for a while. :)When I told the owner "I've been trying to resist coming here for a few days now", he replied "Resistance is futile". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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