Photoetch radar help

cyeargin

I am taking my first serious venture into ship modeling via Orange Hobby's 1/350 scale USS Robert F Peary Knox-class frigate kit. So far so good on most of the photoetch, and I have experience with PE in armor kits, but my attempts at the AN/SPS-40 and SPS-10 radars have resulted in nothing except failure and frustration. Any tips on folding and assembling these? 

 

Ed provides some good gouge.  I feel your pain, since my first foray into PE was for an AEGIS cruiser, and the SPS 49 is a series of complex shapes, similar to the 40. Since you've used PE before, I'm presuming you have a bending tool. To form round shapes, I picked up a Mission Models Multi-Tool a couple of years ago, and any similar cylinder with a radius a bit smaller than what you want your final piece to have could work.   But to obtain the shallow curvature of the 49, I rolled an X-ACTO knife over the PE until I achieved the correct shape. For the frame, horn, etc., the bending tool did the trick. I was actually shocked at how well it turned out...maybe I was just lucky!

I like to use a gel control super glue to initially hold the complex shapes together, and to join the pieces. Just a small dab or two for adhesion, and if necessary, a bead of thin CA afterward.

Please let me know how you like the kit. I served in a Knox (the Patterson) and there isn't a lot of selection for that class on the market.