This may work.

I could never get consistent results with streched sprue either.  For all my antennae, I use 0.020 styrene rod available from Plastruct or Evergreen.  It looks good to me and gives consistent results every time.  I also "mushroom" the top end with a cigarette lighter (hold close, but don't let the rod ignight) to give the impression of a protective antenna ball as well.

Here's some help....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Stretching+sprue

[quote user="disastermaster"]

Here's some help....

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Stretching+sprue

[/quote

Ah that helps. I'll save this. I only watched the first one but I saw I was totally going about it the wrong way.

Hello!

You might also try making the antennae from guitar string - which comes free if you've got somebody playing guitar around, when the string breaks you get it for free and you can make many of the antennae out of it. Good trick for making the protective ball at the tip is to take a tiny drop of white glue for it. And here are some nice antenna bases:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/WFU8KCRFN/1-35-mx-6707-vrc-antenna-bases-8x?optionId=114122070&li=shops

Hope it helps - have a nice day

Paweł

I like .020" carbon fiber rod. It's already black, and I can make the "ball" on the end with super glue. If I need it in white, the carbon fiber takes paint well.

Now how does it take bending and where can you get it?

Thanks in advance for the info and have a nice day

Paweł

I second paint brush bristles. They do have tapered tips so you'll need to get ones a bit longer than the final length. And good ones are a little pricey. But I once bought a 4" good quality nylon brush for about $15 and it's more than a lifetime supply.

I struggled with stretching sprue for a long time. Finaly I found a way that generally works for me.

Hold the sprue over the flame until it catches on fire and divides in two. Blow out the flames and mush the two ends back together. Then pull again. I can get really thin styrene thread that way.

Pawel

Now how does it take bending and where can you get it?

Thanks in advance for the info and have a nice day

Paweł

 

Pawel- It will bend in a gradual arc, splinters like a real fiberglass antenna if you try to get too tight of an arc. I occasionally find it in hardware stores, but I'd try the interweb too.

I've also tried stretching DS sprue from Dragon kits, and most recently Academy track sprues. So far I get "lumps" in it, still playing around. The goal is to get a slight taper and maintain enough flexibility to withstand some handling.

Huge note. If you build this kit pay VERY close attention to which side is up on the drivers hatch. 

Machined brass sectional antenna:

Sarge - Harold - so maybe let me chime in with a photo of my avatar:

I've made it over 15 years ago, so some details are not as pretty as I would do them today and the antenna is made out of copper wire in one piece with the base, but it has the protective ball made out of white glue and an almost correct tie down - I know there was a lot of discussion and changes in the way this antenna was supposed to be tied down on the move (lower part of the hook, upper part of the hook). Maybe you could write a few words about it, what was the way it really was done in the times of 'Nam?

As for stretching the sprue - I don't like to have things on fire in my shop, so I manage stretching sprue without it (although I use a Zippo lighter for heat source). I'd say stretching sprue is easy as soon as you get to heat the sprue right. To do that I rotate the sprue around it's axis while heating it - this way it gets nice, hot and soft, but can't drip due to the rotation. But it has to be on the verge of dripping. The hotter the sprue the better it stretches and the speed with which you pull the ends apart determines the gauge of the finished product. If the sprue breaks while stretching then it wasn't hot enough.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

Pawel

Sarge - Harold - so maybe let me chime in with a photo of my avatar:

I've made it over 15 years ago, so some details are not as pretty as I would do them today and the antenna is made out of copper wire in one piece with the base, but it has the protective ball made out of white glue and an almost correct tie down - I know there was a lot of discussion and changes in the way this antenna was supposed to be tied down on the move (lower part of the hook, upper part of the hook). Maybe you could write a few words about it, what was the way it really was done in the times of 'Nam?

As for stretching the sprue - I don't like to have things on fire in my shop, so I manage stretching sprue without it (although I use a Zippo lighter for heat source). I'd say stretching sprue is easy as soon as you get to heat the sprue right. To do that I rotate the sprue around it's axis while heating it - this way it gets nice, hot and soft, but can't drip due to the rotation. But it has to be on the verge of dripping. The hotter the sprue the better it stretches and the speed with which you pull the ends apart determines the gauge of the finished product. If the sprue breaks while stretching then it wasn't hot enough.

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł

 

Your Jeep looks like an M151A2, my model is a 1941 Willy's MB like the picture below. Notice that the tie-down for the Willy's MB is located so the driver can easily get out of the Jeep and he can release the antenna without leaving his seat. Some antenna bases (MP-48) were also located on the passenger side, or on the back of the vehicle like your model.

Antennas could be secured on the front bumper and even on the back of many vehicles, but that alternative back tie-down location required the base to be located farther forward on the vehicle. It should be noted that Second World War mobile antennas (MS49-53) came in five sections three feet long. Three sections would make an antenna 9-feet, all five sections would make an antenna 15-feet. The Willy's MB Jeep and the M151A2 MUTT were 11-feet long.

Harold