Repairing Model Tank Manufacturing Defects

Many model tanks today are made of styrene plastics. As such there is always the chance of a defect making its way into the manufacturing process. Whether it is an air bubble in the plastic itself, excess flashing or parts ending up much too thin or too thick there are many different defects that can occur. While some may feel that this means they will have to jump out and buy a whole new model this is not truly the case. Most all defects can be fixed with a little engineering and some luck.

In the case of an air bubble the fix can be rather easy. When building a model you should always have some craft putty on hand just for issues such as these. Take a pinch of the putty, just enough to fill the hole left by the bubble, and press it into place. Trim it back until it is flush with the sides of the plastic piece. It should look like it will blend right in with the part and leave no indentation. You can now paint over the putty just as you would the plastic itself. With a proper painting you will never know that the bubble was there in the first place.

Excess flashing is even easier to remedy. Take your hobby knife and carefully trim the flashing from the part in question. If you are unsure whether the flashing is what you think it is then you should consult pictures of the model in both the directions and on the box and see if you can tell. This should clear the issue up enough that you can confidently remove the flashing with no worries.

The issue of malformed parts can be a bit touchier. If the part is too thick you can always take material away to bring it into line with where it should be. If it is too thin you should try to determine the proper thickness necessary. Once you have you can either use craft putty to help build the part up or you can attempt to create a whole new part. This can require a great deal of care and trial and error as well. Be persistent and you will be able to correct the issue. After you have done this a time or two you will find that you are much more capable to make such repairs.

Making repairs to your model tank should not be a frightening thought. It should also not be intimidating. Keep calm and try to think ahead. You will find that the repairs will go rather quickly and you will end up with a great looking model tank that you can be proud of.