Mountaineer Body Set Repair

[Alboace]

Hi Guy's

Picked up a Mounty off Evilbay last week. Pretty good condition & complete, but the Body Set has seen better days. There is a split on the Offside Pillar, & where the two halves of the set meet, there is damage to the screw holes & plastic. This damage has made the shell considerably weaker than it should. However, i will be using it for a Shelfer, so the repair work needs to be relatively strong (i will use it occasionally) but cosmetically good.

I guess the easiest way to solve this is to get a new bodyset. Unfortunately, i'm in no position to sell my Kidney's, so i'm going to have to repair this as best as i can.

Do you have any ideas & suggestions as to what materials is i should use to repair this? I need some kind of filler that has a similar flexibility to Tamiya ABS, & an appropriate epoxy/glue with comparable flexibility.

Is this possible?

Thanks in advance.

Alan

[WillyChang]

you can use any sheet/rod/pipe styrene from your LHS, you'll find the railway boys use it a lot for fabrication.

weld it with MEK, Tamiya Cement, Airfix or Testors glue etc etc.

These glues are solvents which WELD the plastic, don't use it to buildup gaps.

Epoxy will build up gaps.

Putty filler for dents/scratches & over gaps where you want to paint over.

Its just like working on a static model, just huge.

[Bluefoot]

I use a product that is used to join PVC drainpipes. It is an MEK (MethylEthylKetone) based product that "welds" the plastic as WillyChang says. Use too much and you will melt the plastic, but use it as directed and it will form a strong join. You need to be able to get it right into the full depth of the join. You can use a small modelling knife for this. Sand and fill any rough bits after it has hardened.

[Alboace]

Cheers for your help guy's.

Will make a start this weekend & hopefully you will see a new sparkling edition to my showroom soon!

Alan

[WillyChang]

forgot to add...

If buying putty, go for the 2-pack type which is mixed like epoxy. Lilliput fine-grade is good.

I have used Tamiya's 1-tube putty... works good but it shrinks. Takes 1-2wks to dry properly but will still shrink over time.

(had to fill up some bodypost holes in my Mounty... sanded flush smooth but now slight dimples)