Njja said:
I asled Ken Olsen the designer and sculptor of these terrific buildings, here is his reply "As far as the Conte scenic items...I do not think that they are warping post production. I do know that he used a couple of vendors and it is possible that the parts went out of the factory with a 'rock' to them. In most cases they must be sanded flat after trimming... hope this helps, Ken" So why not check to see if sanding might solve the problem. I'm glad Ken feels this is not a post production problem. Njja
I don't know how many else are like me, but I have been a plastic model builder since the about 1957 or 58. I have built hundreds of cars, ships, airplanes, tanks, monsters, and others in my life so far. I save my extra pieces, buy kits for parts, save broken models, get uncompleted kits from friends or my own, and "kit bash" lots of different stuff like models that are not made or variations to existing models. I guess this trend has now extended into toy soldiers. I am not afraid of cutting, sanding, shaping, moving parts, removing pieces, or "kit bashing" even K&C figures or vehicles. In fact, I find metal more forgiving and easier to work than plastic.
I have all of the other Conte' buildings (unfortunately not the church and priory) and I have made some alterations to every one of them. The least I have done is to make the edges straight so that my cobble stone street sections fit up against their edges.
I have had to “true flat” about three of the buildings using a hand sander. It takes time and patience, but if you are careful it can be done very easily. I have had to do the same to some of my JG Miniatures buildings.
I have taken the rear doors off the GMC truck and made them look like they were in the down position for loading or unloading. I have removed the resin windows with a Dremel tool and replace them with clear plastic to simulate a windscreen. I have removed the canvas ribs from the box and added them to the ¾ ton weapons carrier and the DUKW as they had canvas ribs also. I am not afraid of using kit bashing to make changes. And sometimes, manufacturers don’t make things shaped the way they should be and if some things are stored wrong, they warp or change shape over time. Plus, nothing ventured, nothing gained and if you screw it up, buy another one and try again. **** the torpedoes….I, I, mean expense?
Michael
