Hood fit

[sjordan2]

One thing I see frequently among the photos shared on this forum and elsewhere is hoods that don't sit as properly as they should – generally, too high, and I say this primarily regarding vintage cars with radiator shells such as a Model T, Duesenberg, Mercedes 540K etc.

Does anyone have a process or technique for dealing with this?

[Harry P.]

Checking the fit of parts should be done early in the assembly process, before painting, and any misaligned or poorly-fitting parts need to be dealt with long before the model is painted. 99% of the time all that's needed is a little sanding or filing to finesse things into place (unless you're building a Pocher kit, in which case some pretty major surgery is sometimes the only way to get body panels to fit like they should... and even then it's not always a really good fit!)

[MikeMc]

Pre fit everything dry, add paint and now they do not fit.

The way to solve this is to think before paint...and then give it some room. How much will depend on your painting skills.

[weasel]

yep, gotta figger the paint thickness to!!

[Jon Cole]

We see so many built models with the hood either not sitting down where it should be, or it slid out of position. True especially at model shows, when the photographer has a lot to do, and takes the pic with the hood sliding forward. Some kits have hoods with slight warps.

Rare earth magnets come in a variety of sizes. I can get a pack of 100 magnets smaller than 1/8 for around $15. I plan on ordering some, and I bet there is even more that can be done with them.

[Chuck Most]

some hoods just refuse to fit no matter what you do with them.

the Monogram and Revell Fox Mustangs for example. because of the hinge design and the slope of the fenders those hoods will always slide forward on the finished models when they are closed.

Revell's 2009? Challenger hood is oversized OOB and requires sanding or filing to fit and fit with primer and paint applied. could be worse i guess though and be too small for the opening

AMT '63 Impala is the same way. Personally though, I'd rather have the hood be a touch too small- paint tolernace is in check, and if it's TOO small, adding a bit of material to the edges isn't a big deal.

[Dr. Cranky]

I avoid all those problems by mocking up and mocking up, and then modifying if need be. Mocking up saves you a lot of heartaches and headaches.