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HOW TO - Easy kit improvements

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ripley:
I like my hatches open and for the most part filled with crew figures . Most of Rubicons and Warlords newer kits come with separate  hatches  , the earlier ones  didn't . So how do you open up a molded closed hatch ? Well I'll show you how I do it

You just drill very small holes around the inside edge of the hatch , cut along the dotted line with a new # 11 xacto blade  .Using a file ,square up the hatch and using a very narrow chisel blade , trim off the remainder molded hatch rim . Remember the hatch itself will be larger than the hole you make so go easy . Using plastic sheet , cut hatch cover , I just cut a square a couple of mm larger than the hole and sand it till it fits . Add what ever internal hatch locks you desire , on the IV I just added a cross bar and a bolt . Not correct but looks the part .

You can use the same method to open the turret side hatches , then cut the kit doors in half , sand a little thinner , and add details as you see fit

BA Panzer III wip  It looks hard, but if you take it slow, its actually quite easy

Pinky:
I've opened up a turret side hatch on a Warlord Panzer III.  Not sure it's quite straight, but it adds a lot to the model.  It's much easier (I find) doing this with Warlord kits than Rubicon kits - Rubicon plastic is tough!

ripley:
Yes Rubicon's plastic is very hard , not as easy to work with that's for sure . But their  T-34 kits  have almost a guide for you to cut out the drivers hatch .

Really easy to cut the hole and then add the kit hatch than it is to remove a  molded on hatch and try to make one  ::) .  Actually I find cutting out and making the new hatch has become quite easy . Its getting the hatch interior details right that's the tricky part

ripley:
Restaring the thread under a new name . Please feel free to add any tips you have to improve any of the plastic / resin kits out there . Finally got back on track working on my KV kit and realized it needed some improved detail on the hatch interiors  . This is what the hatch interior looks like ( Tankograd KV book )



What you get is no detail on the hull hatch and upside down detail on the turret hatches ( never mind the KV I hatch is way to big in diameter ) . So what to do ... well get some 2 part resin ,

And some modelling clay . Press the hatch into the clay ( make 4 or 5 copies as this method is hit and miss )  Add paper thin layer of resin , excess from another casting job

Let cure , remove unwanted  hatch details , cut resin to size , super glue

Didn't turn out too bad if I say so myself , now how do I go about fixing that oversized KV I hatch ?

Ballardian:

  Great thread, sharing the collective wisdom of many years of kitbashing will make for a wonderfully useful resource :)

 (Apologies, came back to this today & discovered I'd put it in the wrong place before - I'll put it down to a surfeit of Christmas cheer!)

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