1/72 gun barrels and the like, or, how not to break them?

Be very, very careful! 

That's about all the advice I can give you, as I normally work in 1/48 scale.  Even there, you can easily break things.

I am working on a 1/72nd WACO glider, which has some very thin structural parts.  I immediately realized that if I want to keep them intact, I have to sand lengthwise to remove any remaining sprue tabs, and place them on a flat surface for support.

This is also why people who work in 1/72nd and smaller scales are certifiably insane. 

Gary

Caveat: I'm still fairly new to all this.

In addition to being very careful, be cognizant of how tired and/or frustrated you are. I've found that deciding to plow through another step or two when I'm tired and/or frustrated leads to breakage errors.

Also, plan the build based on your experience and judgment instead of what the instructions say. Guns and pitot tubes can often be added at the end of a build instead of the middle. That reduces the risk of breakage.

I'll second Cat's advice on adding guns and other small, fragile items during the final stages of building.  They are a magnet for breakage.

If you are considering a B-17 and all its guns, I found it useful to cut the barrels off the guns to begin with, when they're located in places like the waist and tail positions.  Then, glue only the rear part of the gun body in place, inside; and add the barrels from the outside during the final stages of construction.  It's what I did with most of the Fortresses I've built, and it eliminates a lot of frustration.  Good luck. 

Now that's a good idea Checkmate !    I had fits with my B-26 trying to protect the gun barrles during construction.  I only managed to break off 2 but it would of been so much eaisier to do it like you said.  TY for the tip.

Well, yes it's prudent to add the guns at the end just like I always do but.................While handling my Italeri B-26K it slipped out of my hand and went nose first into Tierra Firme smashing several of the QuickBosst resin barrels in the nose.

Sometimes it just happens!

The problem is getting worse!  The new, fine molding capabilities that some manufacturers are going to allows them to mold finer detail, which looks great, but sure leads to more breakage!  I measured a rod still on the sprue of a new kit and it was 30 mil in diameter.  Sure enough, I broke it trying to get it off the sprue.  Fortunately, the break was clean and CA managed to repair it.

Thanks guys, never really considered cutting the barrels off and putting them on last (I figured that in itself would be slightly fiddly).

I came across some brass barrels in 1/72 so I might give those a go, they have to be more resistant and I can drill into the gun bodies (assuming I don't go blind in the process through squiting) to pin them on/in.

There are sites that you can go to in order to get stainless steel surgical tubing of all sizes (syringe needles).  It comes in 3' lengths which lasts quite a while when used for 1/72 gun barrels.  Our club members have used them for years.  It's a little more realistic too.  You just cut off the plastic barrels and drill a small hole the size of the tubing and glue them in at the end of your build.  If you drop me a PM, I'll be happy to send you a copy of the sheets with the scales for all types of gun barrels and the places to get the tubing. For some stupid reason, I have not been able to download pics to this contraption for a couple of years now but I can send them in e-mails.  Must be because I'm a Senior Citizen and not computer literate.

Jim