Missing clear piece, advice needed

[Guest]

Still plugging away at my HP Hampden, filling & sanding every time I join two bits together! Ho hum.

But disaster struck today when I realised that I've lost a piece - cover to the landing lights on the port wing, curved to fit into leading edge of wing. Had already masked it up, and no idea what happened to it. May be something to do with sharing space with SWMBO in the dining room...

What can I do? The only option I can think of is to fill up the gap with a few layers of filler and sand to match rest of leading edge... but would rather save the landing lights if poss of course.

Any suggestions?

(This piece...)

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[Gern]

I've seen guys get bits of transparent plastic and file/sand/polish to fit. You might be able to use a bit of the sprue?

Gern

[eddiesolo]

Yep, as Dave suggests, have a look at the clear sprue parts and see if you can shape a part first.

Si

[Guest]

Alternative Alasdair. Get in touch with the manufacturer & ask for the missing piece. Couple of times I have had good results & not been charged.

Laurie.

[stona]

Failing Laurie's suggestion you can attempt to shape a piece from solid clear acrylic or sprue which is tricky. I've done it from red and green toothbrush handles for wing tip navigation lights.

Much easier would be to simply cut and bend a piece of clear plastic to size. I have a sheet of clear plastic which I use for this sort of thing (and the glass parts of gun sights which are always much to thick in the kit parts). You might be able to find something suitable in some packaging or similar. It might take a few goes (it always does for me) but you should be able to get a nice result.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

I'd attempt a scratch piece myself for the challenge.....

A bit of clear plastic off a cake box or similar would bend to shape

You could use clear silicon and trim to shape

Layer upon layer of PVA would be a slow but promising idea

Or be logical and follow Laurie's advice

[Gern]

Thinking about thin plastic, isn't there a way of 'crash forming' canopies by heating the plastic and shaping it over a mould? It should be simple enough to carve a mould with the same profile as the wing edge and use some boiling water to warm the plastic - maybe?

I'm sure Tony (yak face) has done canopies this way.

Gern

[Guest]

I had a similar problem with my Junkers 87, 1/48 scale. I searched high and low with no joy. I contemplated fashioning one from clear packaging material. I couldn't get it to bend to a suitable profile even after heating it. Being such a small part, (about 3mm wide), it was also difficult to cut and shape. Then joy oh joy it turned up. Don't give up just yet! - I now try to keep all loose parts it small jiffy bags.

If I couldn't get a replacement, I think I'd go down the path of shaping a piece of clear sprue. Tedious to be sure, but we modellers have as much patience as a prisoner of war tunneler with a bent spoon.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Great response!

I'd heard of people using clear sprue before, but don't have anything large enough... it's actually a bit bigger than you'd think. Might gluing a few bits together then treating them as one piece work? I'd be curious to see how much of a polish I could get on the surface...

Getting in touch with Airfix might be worth a go... but I don't want to 'waste' potential goodwill on this bar-steward of a kit!! I might have a go trying to fashion something with some clear plastic packaging or perhaps a cut-up water-bottle or the like.

I'll just have to hope I have the same luck as MrSprue (sry, didn't catch a first name)!

[Guest]

Airfix is great in their spares, just give them an email and they'll send it within 2 weeks