Scratching aerial mast?

I think you've already come across the best idea on your own! If the replacement is carrying strain from the antenna, it'll need to get some support from going inside the fuselage; fret is probably the strongest option. Or maybe a toothpick treated in the same way, it could be made slightly thicker than PE fret is, and sanded to a rounder cross-section. (And you won't shoot your eyes out with PE shards!)

Sweet - think I'll try PE. Also think I might try to "sleeve" the mast toward the base with some additional PE shims on either side. Give the whole area a bit more heft and more room for the CA to play.

I make aerial posts from K&S brass wire, usually .030 stock.  I bend it with a sharp bend to get it going back parallel to itself, then solder the piece together which also then fills in the crease inbetween the two "legs."  I cut it with one side longer than the other, so it will fit into a 30 mil hole in fuselage. I then shape it to tapered shape with needle file.  One can drill a tiny hole inside the bend area to attach antenna wire if you use thin enough thread.

What scale are we talking about here? If it's 1/72 and you use stretched sprue for the aerials, the strain on the mast will be neglible; I would think you could get away with a plastic replacement, bore out the hole and just cement it in with a generous blob of CA.

mfsob

What scale are we talking about here? If it's 1/72 and you use stretched sprue for the aerials, the strain on the mast will be neglible; I would think you could get away with a plastic replacement, bore out the hole and just cement it in with a generous blob of CA.

It's 1/48. 

Here's a pic before the mast got broken off. 

...or you could drill out a couple of "bullet holes" around the area of the mast, and call it battle damage!

Is the original part thick enough to drill out and pin with some fine wire?

Thought about that, Phil, but it's not thick enough for me to get good purchase in it.

I also tried cutting some PE last night. Getting the shape was easy, but it feels flimsy. Maybe folded on itself and then cut...

I like Phil's idea.  If you can't drill, then cut a slot with a razor saw.  Make the cut through the thin side of the mast about 1/8" long.  Glue the pin with some CA; fill and sand when dry.  I did this recenlty when I had the same problem.

m@

I like Phil's suggestion, too, but if you can't drill into the mast, you can still apply the same principle, that is, to interlock the mast into the fuselage.

I did a similar repair on the Monogram P-47D razorback.  They molded the radio mast as part of the fuselage half, and I picked up a kit with that piece already broken off.  I wound up drilling a hole at the "scar" where the mast had been attached to the rest of the fuselage half, and when it came time to attach the mast, I filed a little notch in the base, that would fit in the hole.  That way, I had the key effect, instead of a butt join.  I also used the hole as the attachment point for one end of the aerial, which went to the base of the mast, not the tip.

Whatever you wind up doing, I look forward to seeing your solution.

Best regards,

Brad

Thanks gents! 

Think I'm going to pursue two different paths and just see which comes out better.

First is drilling/cutting into the kit mast and shoving some brass rod in their (or heck, maybe a paperclip).

Second is scratching an entirely new mast out of some flat brass stripping I picked up over lunch. 

Well, I ended up making a total mess out of the kit mast. Just too small and fragile to hold and cut at the same time. The fact that this kit uses some really soft plastic probably didn't help matters any.

So...I ended up going with the brass stripping. My Xuron shears cut through it with no problem, but they also curled it (boo). Managed to get it straight with some pliers, but it took a lot more work than I'd have liked. Need to figure out a better way to cut small pieces of metal like this.

Anyway, I cut the brass to the shape of the mast, then cut away underneath to create a mounting post. Filed things smooth. Drilled out the mounting hold, let loose with the CA, and done. The mast is now rock solid!

For me, since the real masts were tapered from bottom to top, using a straight wire won't look correct in 1/48. You could try to remove the piece in the fuselage and just reglue the original part back in. You'll only lose in height whatever amount is stuck in the fuselage. That may only be 0.20" or so. And you could attach a small amount to the original piece to regain what you lost.

i agree with sjkoz...i have nwut of f meany of masts my selv .

all i had to do is drill out the hole then add the matialback in the bottom....walla!!

ship shape .

5-high

ps...GREATpaint job  dud.

did you brush that on  or did you airbrush on??

looks good 

sighed 5-high

sjkoz

For me, since the real masts were tapered from bottom to top, using a straight wire won't look correct in 1/48.

That is why I recommended doubling the wire back upon itself, then soldering legs together, then filing the taper.