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I have been working off and on on an Italeri 1/72nd scale Gigant glider, a WWII German aircraft.
The kit is designed to be displayed with the clamshell nose open or closed. Since I am making a wargame model, I wanted a working hinge. I went to a flying model airplane store and got some hinges. Here is a bit of a test fit to try and see how they would work. Test fitting of custom parts is very important. I wanted the hinges to go inside, but they did not open the doors wide enough.
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My plan was to pin the hinges to the airplane and doors.
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Using my pin vise, I drilled a set of little holes in the fuselage and the doors. I then inserted these little plastic rods into the holes. The rods were trimmed down a bit but left long so that I could adjust them.
Here are the pins holding the hinge in place. I used tape to hold the hinge in place, to use it as a template for drilling the holes. I then put the pins in the holes and placed a small drop of glue on the inside of the cargo area. The pins were flush with the inside of the fuselage. You can see them on the far side.
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My plan was to pin the hinges to the airplane and doors.

Using my pin vise, I drilled a set of little holes in the fuselage and the doors. I then inserted these little plastic rods into the holes. The rods were trimmed down a bit but left long so that I could adjust them.
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