FALLER AMS - HO SLOTCAR BODIES - Stephen Cook - NEW ZEALAND The images and text describe a simple repair method to repair broken body mounting posts. BMW 2000CS The first signs of problems are small cracks appearing on the mounting posts.  This can be caused by old age, and also from over-tightening of the chassis screws or using the incorrect type of screw.  This is a BMW 2000 front post. Faller had a small part (#4800/9) that helps correct this problem - a brass cap designed to fit over the mounting post.  I have found no reference about when this cap was first made available, and have not found it listed anywhere as a seperate spare part in the catalogues or technical bulletins. The cap appears to provide good support, but the caps are a slightly loose fit and the post may still break even with the cap in place. The front post on this Mercedes Benz 230SL has become very brittle at the end.  It has also become shorter and any attempt to mount a body will result in the body sitting too low on the chassis and probably even more damage to the post. In this example (Mercedes 190SL) we have a near-good front post and an almost-destroyed rear one on the same car.  The rear post is actually melted over and is less than half its normal length.  This car was part of a virtually complete 1964 set, still with the original autos.  It is this 190SL that started me thinking about a repair method in the first place. My repair method uses 3.2mm Heat-Shrink tubing as used in the electronics industry.  You should be able to find it in a variety of colours and sizes from many electronic supply stores.  You will also need a soldering iron with a very fine tip, preferably a temparature-controlled iron otherwise about a 25-Watt should be okay. 3.2mm Heat-Shrink tubing, usually purchased in 0.5 or 1 mtr lengths - (it should not be expensive). Soldering Iron Hot-Glue gun Very fine drill bit (1.0 mm should be okay) MERCEDES 230SL (4851) For my first practice attempt, I used a very tired spare body as shown above.  The mounting posts on this Mercedes 230SL were broken at both ends.  If the post is still in one piece, all that may be required is a small length of heat-shrink slipped over the damaged post. I have found that it is easier to cut the tubing to the correct length before heating to secure it into place. Once the tubing is in place, gently heat the tubing with either the tip of the hot glue gun or the tip of the soldering iron so that it shrinks and forms a snug fit around the post.  You will need to work your way around the post to ensure full shrinkage.  Once the heat-shrink is firm, carefully inject a small amount of hot-glue into the tubing, and while it is still hot, use the drill bit to create a new hole for the screw. This image shows the end result after using the drill bit to form the hole.  The glue generally remains quite soft for a time so mount it onto a chassis straight away to get the mounting screw thread pattern set into the soft glue. You will be able to carefully unscrew once the glue has set.  Beware - you will need a steady hand when heating the tubing.  It is easy to damage the body with even moderate heat.  I strongly suggest you practice this technique on a scrap body first to get a feel for it.  The glue gun is not usually quite so hot and you may find this easier to use although a little slower. If the post is already broken, but you still have all the pieces, then you should be able to get it back together before slipping the tubing over.  Or, depending on the shape of the broken pieces, you may find it easier to slip them in with tweezers once the shrink-tubing is in place. If any of the broken post pieces are missing, filling the tube with hot glue will provide a firm anchor for the screws, and they can still be removed for servicing. The next example is a FORD 17M, and as you can see the rear post has a section completely broken away.  This body was from the same set as the 190SL - I was on a mission! FORD 17M (4804) Here you can clearly see the problem.  There is one section completely broken off and the post is about to fracture further - I was very relieved that most of the fragments were still together although a small portion was missing.  Same view after the repair has been carried out - you can see the small portion that is still missing but there is sufficient for the screw to grip and the body looks great on the chassis. This is the entitre Ford 17M body - the front post was cracked but not broken.  Fitted with a sleeve it should remain intact and survive normal handling. MERCEDES BENZ 190SL (4821) Back to our 190SL - here you can see the post is quite badly damaged.  At first I believed it was beyond repair - infact it took just a few minutes....   ... by using the good front post as a guide I cut the sleeve to the correct length, slipped it over and heated to secure, then recreated the screw hole.  It's not the prettiest sight but on the track it's awesome!!  Who would know. MERCEDES 300SE Coupe (4858) This body was very similar to the Mercedes above - 1 good post with a small crack, but the front post has a chunk missing. The damage is quite noticeable here... ...but the hot glue deals with the gaps. VW BEETLE (4803) This one is still on the drawing board.  The rear post was in 3 pieces but just salvageable.  The front post has broken off completely taking a portion of the hood with it!!  This body also has damage to both bumpers so is purely a challange to see what I can do.  It's a pity it was not better looked after, these Type-1 Beetles are very rare and fetch high prices.  It may be possible to fashion a repair to the front by using resin?....  ... on the other hand, I could be really sick and model it into an accident scene perhaps with a "jaywalker" laying across the hole?? Suggestions welcome. I hope these images have been helpful to you, if you have any damaged body mounting posts, give it a go.  You might just breathe new life into an old favourite or make something useful out of the junk pile. If you have found this helpful, or have any tips of your own to share, please let me know - sometimes I feel I'm the only one still interested in Faller AMS The images shown here were created using a Canon Flatbed scanner.  I have a digital camera, but one day while experimenting I scanned some small parts and was very pleased with the results.  Some newer scanners handle 3-D images very well - give it a try.  Small parts are very good to scan as you can really grunt up the resolution and get incredible detail with no camera jitters, no worries about angles, lighting etc.  Steve Cook's Faller AMS Information Pages