How to make Moving Doors Redux [Update]

**Warning some planning may be required**

This requires patience and firm hand.  It should be noted making the plastic doors move is far easier  than Forgeworld Chapter doors.

Making doors open and close on Imperium vehicles may require a little bit of planning.  You can just fly by the seat of your pants and go at it.  That's what I did the first time and it turned ok.  These weren't that much better.  Still need practice.  Perhaps after my Psybacks I will have it down.

Land Raider doors are first.  Rhino doors follow.

Tools I used.  Needle nose pilers, wire stripper and cutter, super glue, dremel kit of drills, humble paper clip (it does so much without expecting anything in return), modelling knife, hand saw a gift from Joe (Thanks, Joe) and the best tool I own: Pin Vice.  Damn, I love that thing so much.  I would marry it but I'm afraid what the children would look like.

Used two different drills.  Left .75mm Right 1mm

Grab your doors.

This guy is going to be our model.

As you may see I used the saw to cut into the groove between the inside third of the outer hinges.  Used the saw because I didn't want the model knife ripping into Forgeworld resin doing irreparably damage.

Used modelling knife to remove the inner hinge.  As it came free used less pressure to again avoid doing damage to the rest of the hinge.

First used the .75mm drill.  From the outside I drilled towards the middle hinge.  Careful when drilling.  Kept it in the middle not angled on any axis.

Now for the fun.  Actually learned something this time compared to the first time I did this 10 years ago.  Strip some of the paper clip sheath away.  Used needle nose pilers to make a 90 degree bend.  Left the sheath on the paper clip.  It is important for the next part.

Yeah, there was a paper clip change.  Used the leverage from the rest of the paper clip to maneuver, twisting back and forth while pushing, the stripped part of the paper clip into the drilled hinge.  This is much easier than trying to put in a tiny 90 degree bent paper clip.

Once done cut pin so there is a healthy length of paper clip.  Then did other side.

Used 1mm drill on hull.  This is where the paper clips sheath was helpful.  It filled the space the 1mm drill made easily.  Applied a tiny drop of super glue on each drilled hole.

If you're going to mess up anywhere with Forgeworld doors while doing this.  This will be the place.  As you may know the resin is not as strong as plastic.  When pushing the paper clip into the drilled holes in the hull use the strength of the doors spine to push it into place.  If you don't you run the risk of breaking the hinge.  Which then you either continue forward or scrap the door and order another one.  See something particular in this picture?

Door on.  Oh, as you probably already thought.  Might want to make sure you using the correct door for the appropriate side of the model so you don't end up using the ramp on equipment side.  Or equipment door on ramp side.

Close up shots to help.  .75mm hole.

Cleaned up excised material with modelling knife.

Nice clean thin drilled hinge ready for paper clip.

Using left paper clip length to know where to cut right.

Suggest cutting paper clip at an angle.  Learned it really helps with pinning.

Holes drilled in hull with 1mm and dots of super glue applied.

Second door installed.

Wire stripper takes plastic coating off tip of paper clip.

Needle nose pliers to bend tip 90 degrees.

Stripped wire part in drilled hole of door.

Clippers for the stripped part of the wire that protrudes from hinge.

When putting together my first Grey Knights Rhino a crazy idea came to me.  Can the top Rhino doors be hinged?  As I thought.  Plastic is far easier to hinge than Forgeworld resin.

Drilled holes where the pins would go.

WOW!  That worked well.

Opens, closes and holds semi-open easily.  The pins are not glued in place so when I want to have Grey Knight Razorbacks I pull the doors off and put the Razorback part on.

I can only hope this has been helpful.



slainte mhath