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I'm currently putting together a land raider.
Does anyone have any tips about the side doors?
I would like to hinge them somehow but it looks a little tricky.
It would be a shame to just glue them shut and hide all the detail!

Thanks in advance!

WAKE UP!!!!!!!! 60 views and not a single piece of advice!?!?!?
Are all the dakkites land raider doors glued shut or falling off?

Hi Alex Kolodotschko,
Pretty much myself and my colleges have glue ours shut, bar one of mine, unfortunately a photo is pointless as you can't see anything outwardly. but i'll tell you how i achieved it.

step one, go to your local hobby store ( i.e. actual hobby store not games workshop) and get yourself a packet of small brass hinges.

step two, trace an outline of one half the hinge (bar side down ---o---) take a dremal and carefully grind an area to include but also surround the traced area (you'll need to go thin, be careful not to go through. glue hinge in place fill in with green stuff let dry and sand smooth

step three (requires more patience) take a thin cutting tool on the dremal, or pin vice and hobby knife and cut a slit at the base of the entry way on the tank, place glue on the other half of the hinge and place into the recess. Greenstuff excess hole.

step four (this is a hard one if you have already built the tank)place a strong natural magnet inside the tank wall above the door. while you are at the hobby store get some ferris metal flat rod or a weak strip magnet (warning, if you use the strip magnet, make sure that the natural magnet is the right way up or it will repulse instead in attract). Now depending on the final look you can either attach it as a long straight bump along the top of the walkway ( the last edge you would step off when its down) or as i did with the small piece of iron, filed down the top of the door a fraction glued it using a filling superglue (zap a gap) sanding and painting over thus the door looks the same.

What this give you is a door that open and closes and stays close when you want it two, only did it once to prove i could, didn't do it again cause its a pain in the proverbial, to pull off well.

I hope this help if you are going to try it

let the spark of of an idea kindle

ok, here's an ideal i found that should work if you want to hinge it like it looks (had a brainstorm a few weeks ago but i dont currently have a tank to try it on yet)...gonna need some thin metal bar stock. first with a pin vice drill out the hinges normally.
then file or carefully cut out the middle portion of the hinge molded into the door.
get metal stock the same thickness as the molded on hinge.
cut it about 1/4 inch length drill hole in one end and attach to door.

so if you did it correctly you now have a door with 2-3 dangling pieces of metal attached to it.

on the tank you will need to drill a hole about the size of the metal stock into the correct locations...

line it up and insert the hinge tabs into the tank...

btw your gonna need either blue tac or magnets to keep the door closed...

Sounds like a right pita.
I think i'm gonna try it.
The only other thing I was thinking was spring loaded pins (like the ones for watch straps) as the hinge. Then use a magnet at the top as the 'catch'.

yeah i thought of that (watchpin) but how are you gonna drill that hole...there's no easy way to drill that darn hole...tried it once long ago...

I assembled a LR with the doors open, but I no longer own it so I can't post a photo.

I finished the model, painted it, sealed it. Then I put a tiny dab of wax in the bottom join gaps on the door. I got the wax from some kind of note-hanger hook I got at an office supply store- $1 should give you more than you will ever use in this hobby. The wax is barely visible (unless perhaps you have a masterclass painting ability) and holds the door well enough. I did the same thing with the side doors on my devilfish, and they stay on until I pry them off with my fingernail.

Remember you get the best view of a Land Raider interior from the front doors, which should open. You see the broad detail of the tank, and the engine at the back, its a good feature and worth painting rather than sealing shut.

I glue my side doors shut.

The nicely sculpted panels that fit in them are not visible from the front doors, so I dont install them and use them in other projects.

I am sure you can find numerous uses for the computer console panel, if nothing else glue it to a wall in a Cities of Death building.

Opening side doors are a hassle you want need. Remember they drop down, and you know what happens to drop articulating down doors in game, yep they drop down all the time. Unless you magnetise them, which must be done correctly. Then you need ro pick at deatail on the door with your fingernail or install a form of handle to you can pull down if it stays up.

Frankly, dont bother. Its great as a gimic if you want to propaint a magnetised Land Raider and use the features to boost your asking price on ebay. As a gaming piece is just isn't worth the hassle.

Oh, so the door opens, nice console, very quaint. Lets shut the door, put the tank back where it was and play the game. Instead have the console panel on an antenna topped box use that as your objective marker and see it all the time.

Fair points orlanth.
I just kinda want to do it!
Gotta get your moneys worth! (or ruin it!)

Ive seen some people drill the doors like your thinking of doing. they said it is REALLY time consuming and pretty tuff, but when its done they are functioning doors. just find a small enough drill, and some small enough wire for the hinges. good luck

You guys are making faaaarrrrr to much effort.

I just put a blob of blu-tack in the hinges, it works a treat! it doesn't take the paint off. its quick and cheap and painless.