Misalignment of fuselage - how do I fix?

Hello!

If I understand it right, you already glued the halves, is that correct? That seriously limits your options... It's hard to say anything more definite, without a picture of what we are talking about here. Please show what it looks like, and I'll try to help. 'Till next time, have a nice day

Pawel

  Difficult to get a solid picture to represent the problem, but it is the gap along the dorsal midline.  It is slightly out of line.  I originally had it properly aligned on the top, but it was badly gapping on the bottom.  Would appreciate ideas on fixing it from here as well as thoughts on what I could have done better if the situation arises again.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Scott

Have you considered splitting / cutting it apart & re-fixing - A very sharp knife & some gentle persuasion can work wonders?

You will have a hard job filling this & getting the profile correct.

Other than plenty of perperation & checking, one way around this type of issue is to use an capillary adhesive applicator like the "Touch n Flow", with plastic weld like Tenax or Ambroid. Using this method give better results, as you can hold the parts in alignment while applying the adhesive & continue to hold the parts in alignment until the adhesive has bonded (10 > 20seconds), you can also do a stretch at a time using this method.

On a fit like the one you show, it would be wisest to bond the upper edge first ( as it would be the most obvious) & then do the lower edge.

Here is a links to the "Touch n Flow" applicator & Ambroid Pro-Weld adhesive;

http://www.flex-i-file.com/adhesives.php

Now we got it! You write, you had a choice between a gap on the top and a gap on the bottom? There's also a third option - no gap at all! I don't exactly know what it is, but there's something preventing the halves to join perfectly, and that thing has to be removed first. When you test-fit the fuselage halves and don't get a good joint, there's no use in glueing before you fix the problem. Most often something like this happens when you try to fit a cockpit (that is a bit too wide), then you sand the offending parts until the fit is OK. Do you have any parts inside the fuselage? You should double check them, if you choose to unglue what you have that is. If not, you should check the fuselage halves themselves, for casting imperfections, ejector pin marks, sprue attachments and stuff. Sometimes it helps to sand the surface where the halves join on a sandpaper laid out on a flat surface, like a table.

I think that would be it for now, let me know if you need any more help with this one. Good luck and have a nice day

Pawel

Agree pop it apart and redo.

A gap like that is rare if the alignment pins engage properly. Also it looks like the kit has no cockpit and only the canopy.

But you might be dealing with heat warpage here can be fixed with a bit of CA to hold the parts till the plastic cement does its work.

May I ask what the maker of the kit is.

I had test fit and it looked ok - just a regular gap where the seam was but nothing that I didn't think a little putty and glue wouldn't address.  When I glued it, it came out much worse than this and I pulled it apart and reglued it pushing things into alignment - creating what you see here - not good, but still about 50% better than the first time.

It is a Testor kit.

I am attempting a putty and sanding fix ... and hoping that I will not lose too much of the details in the process.

If you get bored sanding and filing to reduce the amount of material that sticks up, and you decide to split the halves apart, try putting the model in the freezer for a while, too.  That can make the glue brittle and make it easier to separate the halves again along the seam line.

As to fixing the mismatch, it looks like you might be able to apply stretchers to push the one half out to the point where it will match.  Small pieces of dowel would work.  I used the same technique on the Monogram P-40B, where the front edge of the fuselage is squeezed in just a little on some moldings, so that there is a bit of a step behing the nose plate that gets glued to the front.  A piece of dowel was just enough to push those sides out, to minimize the step.  I think a similar application might help here, too.

Best regards,

Brad

Thank you all for the help.  Certainly have alot to consider before approaching the next kit and the gluing stage. I did the best I could from where I was timewise with what I had and I didn't want to split the fuselage apart a second time for fear of breaking the tail. 

This is the outcome, photographed somewhat poorly.  The 'hole' a little behind the cockpit is intended - I am mounting a piece there.

Looks like you did it! Now you can practice sanding and recreating the lost details - a must for every modeller!

Good luck with your project and have a nice day

Pawel

I do want to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions and Testors for standing by their product.  They sent me a replacement kit since this set was not fitting together properly.

Now that's customer service!

I sure would like to see pics of your second take on this one! And please remember to check the fit exactly before glueing! Good luck, I look forward to see the project completed, have a nice day

Pawel