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1/32 boltheads


daveoh

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Hi fellow modellers can you help me out.

Im doing a super detail lightning F3 with everything hanging out. My question is, I want to add some boltheads to the open wing leading edge but I dont fancy cutting hundreds of Hexagonal bits from a strip of hex plastic. Does any one know of a company that does hex strips already cut into very small sections to look like boltheads. ???

I'll sit back and wait for the torrent of replies.

Cheers

Dave.

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Lots of 1/35 armour modellers use Grandt Line plastic railway nuts and bolts. Then there is Masterclub, nuts and bolts in resin, very precise, beautifully cast. They have a long shank so all you have to do is drill a hole and drop them in.

 

Regards,

 

Bruce Crosby

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Hi Dave,

 

Here's another alternative: http://www.scalehardware.com/

 

I found this manufacturer from our own Pete Fleischmann who posted a link in one of his build threads. They have a range of fittings in minute scale. Perhaps you could see if there is anything suitable. Not the cheapest option but superbly crafted.

 

HTH

 

Guy

 

 

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Thanks for that harold but I think metal boltheads will be difficult to add to the plastic leading edge as I will have to use superglue and etched metal can't be picked up with a 26 knife blade. Looks like I'll have to start cutting a hexagonal plastic strip. Deep joy .

Dave

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Thanks for that harold but I think metal boltheads will be difficult to add to the plastic leading edge as I will have to use superglue and etched metal can't be picked up with a 26 knife blade. Looks like I'll have to start cutting a hexagonal plastic strip. Deep joy .

Dave

I have used them without cyano glue. I use an odd combination of white glue and an acrylic commercial floor polish. (not Future)

I mix a drop of glue with the floor wax and place a tiny drop where I am placing the bolt head. I pick them up with a sharpened toothpick (licking the end sometimes helps..lol)

Lightly touch it where the adhesive is and they will stick, plus the glue shrinks as it dries, pulling the bold tight and firm. If you make a mistake, just rub off the glue and try again.

I rarely use superglue now.

Edited by Harold
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Dave, there are any number of options available:

 

Plastruct offers a range of Hexagonal rod sizes, useful for making nuts and bolt heads (and other "hydraulic connectors")  -

http://www.plastruct.com/Pages/OnlineCatalogIndex.lasso

 

UMM offers a Hexagonal "punch and die" tool to use with various thicknesses of styrene sheet - 

http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?cPath=21_145&products_id=1870

 

The Small Shop "The Nutter" Hexagonal punch set (requires their special foil material) -

http://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/the-small-shop-the-nutter-set-scale-model-nuts-rivets-sms009.html

 

 

As mentioned by others, various suppliers offer PE nuts (and other shapes), also Google model car aftermarket suppliers for a vast array of other options.

 

And if expense is no object, there is always Scale Hardware - more goodies than Santa's toy factory -

http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-rivets-c-10

 

Hope this helps,

Norm. 

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It has been dealt with many times on most of the forums.

Indeed it has...

 

These are excerpts from my responses.

 

So this is what I have come across in my hands so far:

 

Plastic

Grandt Line - Good Value - nice selection and available from most railroad sections. On stalks.

Tichy Train Group - Good Value - much better quality than Grandt Line but nowhere near the selection. On stalks.

MR Modellbau - Fair Value - harder to find. Flat molded, needs a razor to cut free.

ModelKasten - Fair Value - easier to find. Flat molded, needs a razor to cut free.

Meng Models - Good Value - easier to find. Flat molded, needs a razor to cut free.

 

Resin

Verlinden Productions - Fair Value - Flat molded, needs a razor to cut free.

Master Club - Good Value - on stalks and excellent selection.

Archer Fine Transfers - on decal sheet - Good Value, easy to use.

Micro-Mark - ripoff idea of Archer Fine Transfers - I didn't buy this but someone who did pointed out the inferior quality here.

 

Metal

Scale Hardware - Good Value - superb quality but expensive for large projects. Drill and place.

LionMarc Model Designs - only have rivets and screw heads but they are really good. Drill and place.

Aber- Photo-etched brass - Fair value as they seem flat (except screw heads).

LionRoar - Photo-etched brass - As with Aber except there is not fret to free the bolts/screw/rivets from.

Verlinden Productions - as with LionRoar.

Fotocut - the first set I came across decades ago without the fret as per LionRoar.

Mig Productions - Photo-etched brass - as with LionRoar.

Voyager - as with Aber.

E.T. Models - as with Aber.

 

If what you need are bolts and nuts, these are my recommendations.

 

The best, in appearance, are the Scale Hardware items. These are brass items and you would cut them with sprue cutters (or nail clippers) while inside a plastic bag so the carpet monster is not fed. Clean up the cut, drill and glue (I use Gator's Grip Glue since any spills clean up with water).

 

Second recommendation would be the Tichy Train Group items if you find what you need in the size chart. These are polystyrene plastic and molded on stalks. You can cut them off with some stalk (to place in a drilled hole) or at the base of the fastener and glue like any other model part.

 

I truly like the MasterClub items but they are not polystyrene but resin. I treat them like Scale Hardware's brass items. Same technique and glue.

 

After those, I would go for the other polystyrene items in this order:

  • ModelKasten - easiest to cut from flat base.
  • MR Modellbau - also easy.
  • Meng Models - excellent amount for the money as they offer three sizes in one package.
  • Grandt Line - they are last simply because many of my sets have flash.

The following was in response to someone who posted about the UMM punch and die:

 

MN031%20HEXAGONAL%20PUNCH%20SET.jpg

I didn't mention any of the mechanical ones such as the above, "The Nutter," Reheat's Hexagonal Punch, Steel Models, and so on. There are also those you can make by heating sprue and creating a squash casting such as Greif Models.

 

slrivetmaker.jpg

 

Regards,

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Guest Jessie_C

If you have a set of Allen keys and some Plasticine, you can make your own bolt heads. Roll out the Plasticine, press in the Allen key as many times as you like, then pour resin or epoxy over top. Let it dry and then slice off the newly-formed bolt heads.

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I use Meng and Grandt line and like them. Also Legend and Bronco make some. Bronco have three types with wing nuts as one. They come in plastic. Also some AFV Club have bolts on the sprues to.

 

Hope this may help

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?search=Y&q_brand=&q_category=&q_scale=35&q_word=bolt&q_show_instock_only=N

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Helpful

Feel free to add to the discussion ,rather than try to center me out.

 

This question is asked at least once a week , on one forum or another , and as seen there are many , many options regarding scale hardware. 

 

Perhaps a sticky would help the newbies on this one.

 

 No-one has mentioned Archer Transfers , but since the dimensions for the required hardware are not given , it is tough to nail the exact supplier.

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