Bending plastic fenders

Hi, Wanna bend a fender huh? Use foil. Pawel can show you how! T.B.

Save your money on books or magazines.  It's simple, similar to stretching sprue-use a candle.  Hold the part over a lighted candle-not immediately over the flame, but high enough to warm the plastic. It will soften. When it does, you can use an object like a pencil or a dowel to shape the fender.  Once you have it bent to the general shape you want, let it cool, and then you can refine it by thinning edges, adding nicks, etc.

It worked for Shep Paine, it works for me.

I'd think that trying to control the temp of the part while heating it with fire would be incredibly difficult, usually resulting in something heat shrunk and badly warped.  I think I'd try a dip in hot/boiling water first.  Trying it on a piece of sprue first, of course, to see how that particular plastic reacts to hot water, and see how hot you have to get the water so soften the plastic enough to be flexible.  

I think I'd definitely try to recreate it from thin aluminum or brass sheet, first, though.  

If by bend, you are attempting to crumple a bit to simulate some damage, you could try some heat from a lighter to soften the plastic.  I used that technique years ago create some realist looking dents in a car that was built looking old and beat up.  With a tank fender, you would want to thing the plastic to give a scale appearance, so you would need to be careful with the heat and not melt it.

Hello, I've seen people use a rotary drill to thin the fenders, then they can bend them. I tried it once, but I'm guessing I didn't thin the it enough, because it broke.

S.H.

thanks!

Well... I can show you how I did it here:

1:72 M48A3 Vietnam DONE! - FineScale Modeler - Essential magazine for scale model builders, model kit reviews, how-to scale modeling, and scale modeling products

But most people replace plastic parts with sheet metal parts and mistreat those, most of the time the ffects are better this way. The most important thing, though, is to work with references and try to replicate real life effects on the model.

Good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł