need some advice......

[robert1488]

i am about to put on the plastic accessories that came with my Abrams HL tank. can i get some suggestions on what kind of glue would be best. both upper and lower hull are plastic (if that helps).

[oldwolf]

A lot of the parts may be a good, tight, press fit. If you don't plan to run it outside, don't glue those ones at all. Things you are sure you want permanently attached, I like the solvent based, brush applied glues, such as plastic weld. This is best applied to the inside where you just touch the glue brush to the in place mounting pin and let capillary action draw the glue around the pin in the mounting hole.

[robert1488]

my tank(s) are mostly for display with some very light driveway runs. i will try fitting everything in their proper place without glue first. i really dont want to open up the hull just yet. it is kind of intimidating for a beginner.

[761st]

It took me a while to open the hull. But that has since pasted. I run my tanks outside with some of the accessories glued on. I use Hodge Podge. Easier to remove the pieces but a roll over will dismount them. old wolf has the best idea!

[Evan D]

The brush on Tamiya cement Old Wolf is talking about is really good. I do have some parts on some of my tanks that, running them hard outside, have come loose and fallen off. If/ when I find them I put those back on with a rubbery contact cement so that if they do come off again they kinda stay attached.

[oldwolf]

my tank(s) are mostly for display with some very light driveway runs. i will try fitting everything in their proper place without glue first. i really dont want to open up the hull just yet. it is kind of intimidating for a beginner.

It is indeed intimidating. I felt exactly that way when getting back into RC tank models around a year and a half or so ago; after about a 35 year hiatus. Hmm, maybe more like 40 yrs, lol.

[Operator7G]

I first did a dry fit by press fitting all of the accessories, using an X-acto knife to trim any excess plastic to get them to fit snugly. Once I was satisfied with the fit, I just used thick CA glue, applied it to the holes with a toothpick, and then pressed in the accessories. This didn't require any disassembly, and there wasn't any visible excess glue after fitting the accessories.

[robert1488]

i will pick up some CA glue at hobby lobby. i was just gonna use a tiny amount of Testors liquid cement, for that is plenty in my house. since no one recommended it, i will wait until i get the recommended CA glue. X-acto, files, etc., i have.

[Vaseline]

Robert:
The Testors liquid cement will work just fine, and just put it on with a toothpick on the back side like the other glues.
Only issue to watch for is to make sure there is no paint on the area to be glued

[robert1488]

i have a camo Abrams. that doesnt count as actual paint, does it? its factory camo, not painted by me.

[Vaseline]

It should be painted and if you look on the inside you will get an idea what the plastic color is, you can also scratch it a bit with a razor knife and see if there is a layer of paint.
Most the parts that come on the trees need to be scratched to get down to the base plastic to get any solvent base glue to work
With that said HL paint is weird and is almost like its etched into the plastic

[robert1488]

i really am a new guy here! i thought this was molded camo, not painted. i'd hate to mess it up.

[DavidN]

I was thinking the same way like you before. You built tank models before too. I have changed my viewed in this hobby gradually. For me at this time, it is a tank and not a car. Tanks get abused a lot in the battle field. My tanks do look nice the way I like. Then I weathered them a lot too. And when there are mistakes that I made, I will just use the dry brush chipping technique as a weathering effect. If there is a big spot, I will just find a tool, a box, a canteen, a bucket, or a helmet to glue it on and cover it up.