Choosing a glue bomb..

[slusher]

I a really curios on how do you judge a glue bomb to be a good rebuilder?  What do you look for?

[magicmustang]

I always look at the glass. If it is clear (no glue marks) then it will usually be a lightly glued assembly.

[OldTrucker]

I think they choose me!

They just seem to appear and I feel sorry for them and have to help them!

Without it in you hands you really don't know or rather can't tell if it is savable. It all depends on how much damage has been done by the original builder as to what to do with one.

Some maybe are a subject that you might want to put back original if possible. Others is there is too much missing and too parts hard to find you might say "custom" or "hot rod" or maybe dirt track car, etc.

I don't know if there is really a standard answer to that question. Guess it is all in the eye of the beholder or even based on a builders abilities.

I know sometimes you lose one after tying into it and finding it's too far gone or as I had happen recently just mess up!

[Carmak]

I feel there has been a significant expansion of what a "glue bomb" is. People use is now to refer to any built model. I have rebuilt dozens of built models but only a few true "glue bombs"

To me a glue bomb kit that has really been fused together, typically glass fused to the body, custom pieces fused to the body and interior. A true glue bomb is very tough to restore to stock or even rebuilt into something remotely presentable. As stated above they often become a custom, hot rod or race car.

For a built kit I also agree with what is stated above about glass,.I also look for trim removed from the body and missing pieces. Now that Modelhaus is gone missing pieces are very hard to find.

Lastly I look for currently or recently available kits that share parts with the built model in question. An obvious example would be a 62 Buick convertible built kit would only need a usable body and boot - everything else needed for the model is available from the 62 Buick hard top kit. I have a 68 GTO with a melted roof but otherwise decent body. I am going to graft the roof off of the MPC "The Judge" funny car 69 GTO onto it and help hide the seam with a vinyl top.I will use the glass also.

Carmak

[Ace-Garageguy]

40 minutes ago, OldTrucker said:

I think they choose me!

They just seem to appear and I feel sorry for them and have to help them...

Yup. I didn't even know what this thing was when it showed up in a group of other parts I'd bought.

 

[High octane]

I'm a slow builder or I have too many other things going on. I have enough trouble finishing a model starting with a " virgin" kit, yet alone a "glue bomb." I'm making an effort this year to get a few started kits finished and so far I'm doing okay, however baseball season hasn't started yet or the cruise nights and car shows either. We'll see???

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, magicmustang said:

I always look at the glass. If it is clear (no glue marks) then it will usually be a lightly glued assembly.

That is a very good tip.

Also look for something that's not all broken up, or has every custom part in the box glued to it.

Good roof pillars are a must for me.

I also look for tell-tale signs of what type of paint was used.

Enamels are generally much easier to remove.

Some old paints can be nearly impossible.

I also try to find something that has as many of the original parts for a stock build as possible.

 

Steve

[dieseldawg142]

..........

Edited May 9, 2018 by dieseldawg142

[PARTSMARTY]

First off to me windows are very important.But also what is the subject matter and do you plan to re-build the whole kit or use it for parts.One other thing is-is there a personal attachment to this particular kind of car  or model..I've currently started on a 57 chevy that my brother built about 53 years ago and was found after many years -he built it a few years before he went in vietnam and never came home.This one has a personal memory to it.There are many many reasons for glue-bombs,I'm also doing some restos for another builder on this site-they mean a lot to him.Being i retired about 3 mos. ago i have and love all the time i have to work on models.

Edited March 26, 2018 by PARTSMARTY

[disabled modeler]

So true gents.    Me..they are usually ones that have a special meaning to me...like my dads old ones...age and old type glues can be an issue as well.   Many times ones I find are ones I can afford or find to work with and ones I could not find get a hold of anyway else....plus to me its like trying to save some history.  The hardest part is finding the parts to for many of them one finds.

[Foxer]

I gravitate toward something that I built as a kid or a car I owned. The rarer it is, the more glue I accept.

Others might have a good body panel to replace a melted panel on another.

[Snake45]

You're asking what to look for for a good rebuilding project.

If it's a rare or long OOP kit, completeness is key, now that Modelhaus is no longer available. Make sure you've got the bumpers, grille, hood, and any other vital parts that aren't available.

As others have said, the glass is important. The worst is glass that's been glued in heavily around the edges and it's melted the A-pillars. This is almost impossible to repair. If you can get the original glass out, you're usually in pretty good shape.

Body trim is important if you want to restore to factory stock. If you want to do a custom or race car, the trim's not as vital.

I never care about the chassis or engine. You can almost always find something better to use from a more recent kit.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Old kit "glass" doesn't bother me. Even if it's in good shape, it usually looks thick and has serious distortion.

After experimenting with ideas from Bill Geary and Tulio Lazzaroni, I've found that windshields, backlites, etc. formed from clear sheet look much more realistic.

If you're going to go to all the trouble of entirely rebuilding somebody's old mess, why not upgrade it too?

Same goes for drilling out chrome headlights and replacing them with reflectors and clear lenses...unless, of course, you're doing a period-piece straight restoration of the kit as it was manufactured.

[Lunajammer]

Even if you plan to replace or reform the glass, I'm still inclined to walk away from a glue bomb with bad glass because it's such a bugger to cut and pry off the model without wrecking something else. Saws are hard to get into the confined areas to cut away. The surrounding plastic is weakened and/or warped by the glue, etc. 

[Khils]

55 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I never care about the chassis or engine. You can almost always find something better to use from a more recent kit

Snake!

   Came across this awhile ago....already scavenged.......something you'd be interested in??  Kevin

[Snake45]

10 minutes ago, Khils said:

Snake!

   Came across this awhile ago....already scavenged.......something you'd be interested in??  Kevin

Is it 1/24-1/25? If so, I might very well be.

[Khils]

36 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Is it 1/24-1/25? If so, I might very well be.

Yes it is.....from the now defunct RSC collectibles....tried to PM. kept telling me you don't receive messages

[Khils]

12 hours ago, slusher said:

a good rebuilder?

I apologize Carl for hijacking your post.....just did not have a "good" way to contact Snake.  Kevin

[ChrisBcritter]

First thing I look for? Clear photos (on eBay). Seriously, what's with the 500p size you can't enlarge?

Lacquer check on a body is pretty much a dealbreaker for me; it's tough to level that off without losing emblems and trim - got a '62 Fairlane that awaits a better body if I can get one cheap(ish).

Other things I look for: Continental kits that leave glue damage on rear bumpers,  fender skirts that leave glue damage on quarter panel trim and wheel openings, seat belts that leave glue damage on upholstery, and louvers that leave glue damage everywhere .

[Casey]

13 hours ago, Carmak said:

I feel there has been a significant expansion of what a "glue bomb" is. People use is now to refer to any built model. I have rebuilt dozens of built models but only a few true "glue bombs"

To me a glue bomb kit that has really been fused together, typically glass fused to the body, custom pieces fused to the body and interior. A true glue bomb is very tough to restore to stock or even rebuilt into something remotely presentable. As stated above they often become a custom, hot rod or race car.

^This. Glue bomb = just walk away, not worth the time and effort.

[Jantrix]

For me to consider rebuilding a glue bomb, it has to be something very hard to come by. And the glass/tail lights need to be a decenet shape. This was the last one I did and the next one is a 60 Desoto.

 

Edited March 30, 2018 by Jantrix

[martinfan5]

4 hours ago, Casey said:

^This. Glue bomb = just walk away, not worth the time and effort.

2nd this

[Snake45]

5 hours ago, ChrisBcritter said:

First thing I look for? Clear photos (on eBay). Seriously, what's with the 500p size you can't enlarge?

Lacquer check on a body is pretty much a dealbreaker for me; it's tough to level that off without losing emblems and trim - got a '62 Fairlane that awaits a better body if I can get one cheap(ish).

Other things I look for: Continental kits that leave glue damage on rear bumpers,  fender skirts that leave glue damage on quarter panel trim and wheel openings, seat belts that leave glue damage on upholstery, and louvers that leave glue damage everywhere .

Well come up with a good term for a built (by somebody else) model that can stand some improvement/finishing/detailing/restoration and I'll use it. Heaven knows such projects seem to follow me home with some regularity. 

[AC Norton]

6 hours ago, Casey said:

^This. Glue bomb = just walk away, not worth the time and effort.

..........So true, so start with new...lol........the Ace....

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 hours ago, Lunajammer said:

Even if you plan to replace or reform the glass, I'm still inclined to walk away from a glue bomb with bad glass because it's such a bugger to cut and pry off the model without wrecking something else. Saws are hard to get into the confined areas to cut away. The surrounding plastic is weakened and/or warped by the glue, etc. 

Correct!

It's a recipe for destroyed roof pillars.

 

Steve