Fixing broken parts in diecasts

[karansharma8783]

Hi, as of now I have a very small vintage collection of which I have 3 models by Signature. The biggest problem in collecting vintages by Signature is that I tend to have some or the other small broken parts which is quite upsetting because in the first place, you have to invest quite an amount in a Signature 1:18 and in the 2nd place, it takes away from the beauty of the car.

So, currently I have following broken parts in my Signature models :

1. Jaguar XK120 - both rear-view mirrors broken
2. Duesenberg - logo on the hood
3. Pierce-Arrow - the whole of the front bumper along with the 2 headlights attached to it has come off during transporting it in my bag while returning from delhi, this is the most prominent feature broken off, the car looks absolutely ugly without it.

I have tried attaching the logo of the duesey back on using quickfix but it again comes off after some time if I accidentally touch it.

Can anybody please help me in this matter and what would be best way to fix back these parts?

[winstoncds]

Karan, sorry to hear about the damage. Chromed plastic parts are a dog to fix and it will not always be satisfactory. Take the minutest amount of quickfix that you would need because the more the glue, more the mess and it will never work. I use a toothpick to work with the glue. You would need tonnes of patience because it will not work the first time, the second time or the third time. Sit in a cool quite place where there is no one to nag you. Have a lemonade or something cooling to drink and only sit if you are in a good mood and have nothing else to do in the next few hours.
Also after you have got the piece standing on its own with the glue, use some transparent glue like fevicol and dab just a little bit of it around the affected part so that it forms a support.
Please don't feel frustrated with the fix. The parts are made so delicately and the damage is inevitable. Don't blame yourself cause there is nothing you can do about such fragile things. Once again, do not feel frustrated while fixing the parts. You will get there. All the best.

[vaas2000]

Feviquick did the job for me 2 days back.
I was taking my one and only auto art - Pajero out of packing to take few pics and realised how delicate autoart is the hard way
The side skirting near the rear wheel came out, the foldable rear seat broken near the hinges and my curiosity to see how the passenger seats are mounted resulted in the entire passenger seat popping out More damage was waiting, the foldable handrests broke too.

Next day bought a feviquick for 5 bucks and went to work. First fixed the foldable handrests, they nolonger fold, but are glued to the passenger seats Gotto live with that.
The rear foldable seats got fixed, but they no longer fold, as the hinges will break again if i try to fold them The skirting got fixed with 2nd attempt. The passenger seats were hardest to get fixed, it took atleast 3 attempts and large dozes of feviquick to hold it in it's place. Now the pajero is in one piece, but gotto live with out few features

[karansharma8783]

vaas2000 Wrote:Feviquick did the job for me 2 days back.
I was taking my one and only auto art - Pajero out of packing to take few pics and realised how delicate autoart is the hard way
The side skirting near the rear wheel came out, the foldable rear seat broken near the hinges and my curiosity to see how the passenger seats are mounted resulted in the entire passenger seat popping out More damage was waiting, the foldable handrests broke too.

Next day bought a feviquick for 5 bucks and went to work. First fixed the foldable handrests, they nolonger fold, but are glued to the passenger seats Gotto live with that.
The rear foldable seats got fixed, but they no longer fold, as the hinges will break again if i try to fold them The skirting got fixed with 2nd attempt. The passenger seats were hardest to get fixed, it took atleast 3 attempts and large dozes of feviquick to hold it in it's place. Now the pajero is in one piece, but gotto live with out few features

Vasanth, quite a job done, pal!!! Congrats on successfully getting all the parts together. Even I was a bit disappointed with my first Autoart, the '67 Mustang. When I brought it home after buying it from Modelart, I discovered that the aerial on the hood was missing. Also, the hood does not hold in the open position very easily and also there is no support of any kind in the engine bay to hold the hood in open position, which I had seen in pics of the mustang online.

[karansharma8783]

Diablo Wrote:Karan, sorry to hear about the damage. Chromed plastic parts are a dog to fix and it will not always be satisfactory. Take the minutest amount of quickfix that you would need because the more the glue, more the mess and it will never work. I use a toothpick to work with the glue. You would need tonnes of patience because it will not work the first time, the second time or the third time. Sit in a cool quite place where there is no one to nag you. Have a lemonade or something cooling to drink and only sit if you are in a good mood and have nothing else to do in the next few hours.
Also after you have got the piece standing on its own with the glue, use some transparent glue like fevicol and dab just a little bit of it around the affected part so that it forms a support.
Please don't feel frustrated with the fix. The parts are made so delicately and the damage is inevitable. Don't blame yourself cause there is nothing you can do about such fragile things. Once again, do not feel frustrated while fixing the parts. You will get there. All the best.

Thanks Diablo for an informative and at the same time a hilarious post!!!! I'll keep all the conducive conditions in mind before getting to work!!

[vaas2000]

karansharma8783 Wrote:Vasanth, quite a job done, pal!!! Congrats on successfully getting all the parts together. Even I was a bit disappointed with my first Autoart, the '67 Mustang. When I brought it home after buying it from Modelart, I discovered that the aerial on the hood was missing. Also, the hood does not hold in the open position very easily and also there is no support of any kind in the engine bay to hold the hood in open position, which I had seen in pics of the mustang online.

Thanks karan That was quite an agonizing time for me till i glued all the goddamn parts back to pajero The result is there for you to see in the other thread, yes, the pajero pics were taken "post operation" lol

Regarding the hood, it does hold on it's own in open position, atleast in this pajero, you need to push it waay back up and there seems to be about 1cm of "locking space" where it doesn't come down hard even if you move around the vehicle. you need to take the hood out of the "locking space" only then it becomes free. Try maadi

Also regarding Aerial, it would have fallen off inside the box, the pajero's chota aerial (hardly 0.5 cm in length) which was to be on the bonnet, had falled off inside the box, needless to say, fevi quick did the job for this too

[karansharma8783]

Yes, I have seen the pics and I saw it before reading your post where you have mentioned that you have repaired it. Hard to believe it seeing the pics, looks 100% brand new and untampered with.

[winstoncds]

Karan, if this is some consolation...Autoart has bungled up big time with aerials on Mustangs. I have a Bullitt Mustang which gave me sleepless nights about the aerial too. Mine didn't come with one either but some of the pics I seen of the model on google had aerials on them. So I wrote to Autoart and they did send me some aerials but of the modern car and I cannot even say they r aerials. They looked like some bits of plastic lying around in the Autoart factory. Credit where credit is due: Autoart had some superb after sales service and they would send missing parts to collectors if you wrote to them. I know of people who have got Mercedes and Maybach emblems in the mail. Do try emailing Autoart. You never know what could come in your post, all paid for by the company.

[vaas2000]

Diablo Wrote:Karan, if this is some consolation...Autoart has bungled up big time with aerials on Mustangs. I have a Bullitt Mustang which gave me sleepless nights about the aerial too. Mine didn't come with one either but some of the pics I seen of the model on google had aerials on them. So I wrote to Autoart and they did send me some aerials but of the modern car and I cannot even say they r aerials. They looked like some bits of plastic lying around in the Autoart factory. Credit where credit is due: Autoart had some superb after sales service and they would send missing parts to collectors if you wrote to them. I know of people who have got Mercedes and Maybach emblems in the mail. Do try emailing Autoart. You never know what could come in your post, all paid for by the company.

That's news to me! But kudos to Autoart for dispatching missing parts, it's really a pain to find alternative to missing parts/accessories for diecasts.
In that category i have a Ninja zx10r of maisto (1:12) which has wrong set of rear view mirrors Both the rear view mirrors point in the same direction! I need to cut the mirror and stick it in the right direction i guess.
I think we need to inspect the piece right there in the shop, after billing ofcourse. That way, if we find any missing parts, can ask for a different piece. Few shops don't allow us to take the pieces out of the box for inspection before we buy them. Iam following this proceedure these days.

[winstoncds]

Vas, when it comes to getting two parts of the same kind, I have the darnedest luck and not once but twice.
The first time I got a kit of the Burago 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C, I got two parts of the front chassis instead of a rear part. So back again 40 kms next day to India Hobby Shop to exchange the model. They were very understanding and promptly replaced my kit with any model that I wanted. Got myself a Maisto Ford Mustang and vowed never to get a kit again from Burago.
Few lessons are remembered and I got a kit of the Gate Peugeot 406 Coupe and guess what? Two front bumpers and no sign of the rear bumper. How cool is that. I have a picture somewhere of this mess. So back again to Modelart. Luckily this time only 4 kms from home and they were kind enough to let me inspect another kit and get that instead. This was a Peugeot I badly wanted and was in no mood to give up.
Oh yes...I built the Alfa Romeo again...luckily all pieces were in the boxes .

Vas, hopefully the shop you got the bike from should give you another piece because its not your fault and they would get a replacement from Creative Education. Do give it a try.