GHQ Models Forums

I was just wondering what everyone else does when they mount the turrets to their vehicles. I've seen someone mention that their turrets are movable. How do you do this?

There are several different approaches. Here are some:

1 ) Just leave the turrets un-glued. They turn. They also fall off. I have many many hundreds of micro-armor tanks with turrets that are not glued. Over the past 30+ years, I have lost at least a dozen turrets. Fair enough exchange? Probably. But the bigger issue is you also tend to get more bent (and broken) barrels when the turrets are banging about on their own.

2 ) Glue 'em down. I often do with with smaller tanks/turrets. With my Soviet T-60 light tanks, or my Italian M11/39s, or even my US M3 Lees, the turrets are glued-down. That is because these turrets are just too small in my view, and would be too easy to loose. But I definitely prefer turnable turrets if/when available.

3 ) Glue 'em down, then turn 'em round. This is my current approach. Some white glue on the peg. Then after 20 or 30 minutes, a little effort rotating the turret through a few 360 degree turns. You wind up with a turret that turns, but is kind of stuck on the tank. A compromise, but a simple and low-overhead compromise. I do this on almost all of my tanks these days, including tanks as small as my Soviet T-70s.

4 ) Tacky-glue 'em down. You can buy tacky glue in most crafts stores. The turrets will stay down in most cases, but can be moved to a different angle when you want. Some folks like this. I'm less impresses, as I see great potential to bend gun barrels with turrets that can be turned, but don't like to turn. To each his own.

5 ) Drill-and-pin-head. Drill a small hole in the bottom of the turret peg. Cut a pin down to have only a little bit of pin next to the round (or flat) pinhead. Stick the turret on, and glue the pin into the hole in the peg. Now your turret is locked down onto the tank and turns freely. Seems like a very good solution to me. But too much work, given how many items I have in my "to do" box. Delux, but I'm looking for easier.

6 ) Rare earth magnets. Drill a larger hole into the peg, and glue-in a small rare earth magnet. Then glue a rare-earth magnet onto the bottom of the tank. You get a turret that stays on, but can be rotated to any direction or removed if/as needed. Has a couple advantages -- removable turrets (if you like 'em blown off as combat damage), and the same magnet can also be used to secure your tank to a base. But again, for me, too much work. De-frikkin'-lux, top of the line approach.

Others here can give you book-and-verse on these approaches. We have a thread or two, about three or four pages back, with pictures and how-to on the magnets. Might be worth going and finding it if you want the details.

I do the pin method. I like to be able to have my turrets turn, and for tme the extra work is worth it. There's a thread here with a detailed tutorial on how to do this.

Magnetic method for me.


Sean

There is another option... Use BeesWax available from MicroMart or some craft suppliers. It remains sticky and can be used in a very small quantity to keep the turret base sticky enough to remain in the hole...

Will

Beeswax? BRILLIANT!

*Guninness drinking follows*

Buoyant bubbles blissfully bathed in bountiful quantities of bucolic beeswax
serene upon a background of bluebells and buttercups, ...eh what?

Oh, ...good show that! Flounder.

Will

I confess that I just glue the little things. Then again I am just starting my new BKC/CWC microarmor madness.

I prefer magnets. I just bumped the "Temporary Basing and Rotating Turrets" thread.

I glue all APCs, AA, and almost all Arty. Most of the tanks are glued. Up to 25-30% of what I have done in last 2-3 yrs is un-glued to rotate. On these, I have put alittle extra time in them, with antenna's, treads, exhaust, vision slots painted, along with some barb wire coils occasionally.

Here's a link to how to pin rotating turrets. It's really very easy.
http://napnutsannex.tripod.com/turrets.html

thanks for the replies guys!

I've tried the pin method, the magnet method and even using bent small wire to wedge them on.
I've found them all to be too tedious when putting hundreds of units together.
With all that assembly line tedium I've settled on using small bits of paper. I cut them into tiny squares and dab the bottom of the turret pole with super glue. Put the glued turret through the hole carefully and then apply the paper underneath. Usually you'll need to use a clamp of some kind to reach up into the top of the hull. The paper needs to be just a little bit larger than the hole to work.
Place and hold the paper there for a few moments. Once the glue dries enough you can move the turret around to bend the corners of the paper slightly if its a bit too large.
The paper is strong enough to hold up the turret through even the most rigorous shaking and tilting and still allows for completely free movement of the turret. Its quick, EASY and cheap to do. Also, if you want to take the turret off at some point, it just requires some paper tearing and a pull.
All of the other methods just don't work for me for some reason or another so I had to make my own
Some units that don't have a hole that goes right through the hull (like a Puma or other types of armored cars or small tanks) still require other methods (drilling and such).
Good luck.

Paper scraps and super-glue?

Sounds like a simple solution, easy to implement with materials that are readily at hand. That's the kind of approach I like! I'll have to try it on my next set of tanks.

(Currently painting tracked carriers and trucks ... not much call for a rotating tarp. )

Hey Von Omar, I just tried your paper method and I like it. For years I have been non-glued (refers to the models, not my head) and have tried some of the other methods and rejected them as being cumbersom.... but your method works simply. Now to go back and do several hundred vehicles...