Admiral Puff Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 I'm in the middle of building a Mach 2 Argosy (yes, I know, I deserve all I get ...) and have encountered a small problem. I have reached the point where the undercarriage is being assembled. All the wheels are moulded in two halves, and because the gates are so thick I removed them by placing the frame on my cutting board and gently sawing each half off with my JLC saw. The parts have only one or two mms to fall from the frame to the cutting mat, and by taking things gently I thought I'd avoid any problems with bits flying away into another time zone. Not so. I was removing one of the nose wheel halves - of course, it HAD to be an outside half - and all was going smoothly until the cut was complete. The wheel half separated from the frame, dropped lightly to the cutting board - and dematerialised! I've had an extensive clean-up on and around the work bench, but it's gone. Can anyone suggest a suitable replacement? I have glued the two halves of the other wheel together and could use that to cast a new wheel, but it hardly seems worth that agony for the sake of one small (about 10.5mm diameter) wheel. Nothing in the spares box comes close. Any thoughts out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcrfan Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Next time you look for it please also keep your eye out for Airfix 1/48 Bedford MWD wheel inner part number B20 as mine has disappeared in very similar circumstances. I have been considering having to mould a new part copied from the other B20 I have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Mc Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Admiral Puff said: I'm in the middle of building a Mach 2 Argosy (yes, I know, I deserve all I get ...) and have encountered a small problem. That wins the prize for the understatement of 2020. 1 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 You could wait for this https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ARAW72422?result-token=vklf1 or send it to me and I'll cast one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 The easiest way is, send a mail to MACH 2 and ask for that part. I had this with a part of the Convair and shortly after the mail I received the spare part. (The funny thing is, a day after I found the missing part !) modelldoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 I've lived in this house since 2002 , would have moved by now but still looking for a 144th VC10 Pitot . I did find 3 batteries , small bulb for SWMBO's cabinet , short stroke bike pump , battery charger , a small clip I thought would come in handy ( if I could only find the other thing I wanted to fit it too) ,spare Stanley blades . I've worked it out , go looking for something else and the previous thing will turn up ………. Can't be far away ,you and "IT" are in lockdown 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 You do know one of the Laws of Modeling states that "The distance a part flies from the workbench is inversely proportional to the size of the part!" Mike 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 4 hours ago, modelldoc said: The easiest way is, send a mail to MACH 2 and ask for that part. I had this with a part of the Convair and shortly after the mail I received the spare part. (The funny thing is, a day after I found the missing part !) modelldoc Yeah, but the French post is glacial at present. Be quicker to carve one from granite. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Aero Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Use a nose wheel set from a Frog Mk 3 Shack. I have plenty if you need one. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Aero Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 Ahh I missed the Australia bit. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David M Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 For the future use an old jeweler's trick: hold the part not the off-cut. Use side cutters to cut out a small section of the sprue frame with the wheel half attached. Hold the wheel on your bench peg and saw with your jeweler's saw...much more accurate when sawing closely especially around curves like a wheel...although Mach 2 wheels may not actually be round. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Ask Adey M. what he used for substitutes! He did not use the kit's wheels at all, as I recall. I resorted to opening up a vacuum cleaner bag today to find the missing hydraulic actuator for a MiG-21. Desperate measures and such. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 22 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said: Be quicker to carve one from granite. Which is most likely what Mach 2 uses to make their masters! Mike 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 1 minute ago, 72modeler said: Which is most likely what Mach 2 uses to make their masters! Mike I thought they used soapstone 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 On 5/11/2020 at 9:52 PM, Admiral Puff said: I have glued the two halves of the other wheel together and could use that to cast a new wheel, but it hardly seems worth that agony for the sake of one small (about 10.5mm diameter) wheel. Nothing in the spares box comes close. Any thoughts out there? That may will be the one of the easier parts to cast if you only cast the lost half-wheel, i.e., with a flat back, rather than the whole assembled part. Make the half-mould and pour the resin in. Barring that, would scratch building the actual wheel (hub) be that hard? Perhaps some Albion tubes and plastic strip for ribs? The rubber part would be easy to carve, if you mount it on a mandrel and chuck that in your rotary tool. Could be close enough, especially if it was the side of the model facing away from the viewer in the cabinet. Mind you, that last bit is just a thought as I've never, ever, resorted to such wanton chicanery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 Thanks all. I wanted to avoid going down the casting route because it would involve buying all the ingredients. Since I don't have any immediate need to do any other casting jobs in the future, there's a real chance that it would go off before I could use it. @David M, that would have been a great idea - if I could actually have gained access to the piece! The nose wheel halves are jammed into their own little corner on the frame, in the midst of a bunch of other small pieces, and it was only just possible to get the tip of the saw blade in to do the job. I thought that by working slowly and carefully, and allowing only a mm or so for the part to fall, any risk of it flying away would be reduced to manageable levels - not so ... And, surprising as it may seem, the wheels are actually quite close to being round! @Ed Russell: I may take you up on that offer, thanks. I have pre-ordered an Armory set; it will depend on how long it takes to get released. I don't need the wheels immediately, since I still have to paint the thing, but I'll get back to you further down the track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 On 5/14/2020 at 8:05 AM, Admiral Puff said: I may take you up on that offer, thanks. Your problem is solved thanks to the generosity of a fellow modeller who has a spare one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagRigger Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Play Doh, car fibreglass resin and one of the good ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rizon Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) A blob of house-hold silicon for a half mould (takes 2 to 3 days to cure though) and epoxy glue as casting material. Nothing special about the materials. Play Doh may also work for the mould, but I have not tried that yet. Edited May 15, 2020 by Rizon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Puff Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Thanks for all your suggestions. As Ed notes above, Toney Wilkinson in Melbourne has come up with a spare, thus sparing me much grief - thanks, Toney! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doom3r Posted May 16, 2020 Share Posted May 16, 2020 For such things I usually use oyumaru (sometimes sold as blue stuff) and green stuff (tamiya epoxy putty would do too). The good thing about oyumaru is that once you made replacement part you can reuse mold by melting it in hot water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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