Mar 8, 2019

Stink Bug Invasion

Just a quick post before I head off for a weekend trip, springtime is here and so are the nasty stink bugs that get through every obstacle and make Central European people's lives miserable...

When I opened up the box full of swag from Drum&Flag (a very friendly online retailer if you are interested in 1/72 bits like I am), I was quite surprised. I ordered one box of used HäT Renault FT-17s, which should have contained two tanks according to PSR, but there were four instead. I got them for the hefty sum of £3.50. In this dark olive green state of theirs they remind me of the dumb little stink bugs that crawl around aimlessly. And their speed also matches.

I had to use sprue rubble melted down in paint thinner for glue, as I ran out of superglue and of course completely forgot to refill. But still, here they are, holding up quite well. 

3 comments:

  1. Cool stuff. Also not heard of that technique as replacement for super glue. Could you perhaps explain it a little? I am quite interested, especially as superglue and I don't seem to get along.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gowan, it's really just putting pieces of hard plastic in some sort of very caustic paint thinner and stirring it. Good ventillation and perhaps a mask is required. I use a bottle that can be closed and wait until the pieces are all melted and the glue has a goopy consistency. It won't work on all sort of plastics and it dries to a vinyl-like material, so it will be somewhat brittle. It is mostly useful with tight tolerances, like the pegs and holes in these Renault FTs. Regular CA glue, especially gel version is still safer and more useful.

      Delete