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Miatatom

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Posts posted by Miatatom

  1. I finished my drying box and got it calibrated today. I used 1/2" plywood. It's about 14" wide x 12" deep and 20" tall. I bought 2 receptacles and wired them in with the dimmer switch to be able to vary the amount of heat I'm putting into the box. I lined the box with some quilted material that is aluminized on one side. Had it left over from the Cobra I built a few years back. With the lining, I found I really only needed a single 60W incandescent bulb to generate enough heat to maintain 105 degrees. Here's a few pics.

    post-9974-0-27631800-1341961107_thumb.jp

    post-9974-0-91917300-1341961120_thumb.jp

    post-9974-0-80655200-1341961125_thumb.jp

  2. I'm new here and was wondering if there's a subject that discusses kits in general. Kit makers, their pluses and minuses, old kits, newer or re-released kits versus the original ones, quality of kits, details like ease of build, good or bad instructions, etc.

    I've got about 12 kits so far and am building 2 at the moment. One is a Revell Peter Brock's Datsun 510. It's a decent kit with fairly good detail, good instructions and parts. The other is a SMER Alfa Romeo 158 Formula ! racer which isn't near the quality of the 510.

  3. I use 1:1 Enamel reducer instead of lacquer thinner. The paint dries very quickly using the reducer, about 10 minutes. Fast enough for me to handle the parts. I also reduce the mixture by one third paint and two thirds reducer. This way I can lower the air pressure to 15-18 psi.

    post-86-0-24104100-1322621569_thumb.jpg

    Dan

    Dan, what kind of enamel reducer do you use? I've heard that using real automotive chemicals isn't good because they are too "Hot" for the plastic.

  4. I've received two different orders of MM Clear and had a question. One looks like it's an older bottle and one looks newer. The older one looks like it's amber colored and the other is clearer. Is the amber one still good? My first model will have some white body panels and I don't want the clear to tint it.

    post-9974-0-82755500-1341009301_thumb.jp

  5. My eyes aren't what they used to be and I need a lot of light. My workbench area is OK in the lighting department but sometimes I just need more to be able to see small stuff better. I've got a Harbor Freight visor with 2 small lights on it but it's not enough. I've also got a lighted magnifying glass but it's an el cheapo and I'm not crazy about using it. I'd thought about a small spot light or maybe a visor light like this one:

    http://www.hobbylinc...on/donlt-06.htm

    What's everyone else using?

  6. What grit paper have you color sanded with? I have a polishing kit that starts with 3200,then goes to 3600,4000,6000,8000 and finally 12000. After that, I polish with polishing compound and then a coat of wax. Needless to say, I only polish when it's a have to case or it's a model I plan to show. Normally I color sand with 4000,then shoot a coat of clear over it.

    I really haven't started doing it yet but I have a model with some specks of dust that needs some attention to look decent. I don't plan to enter any contests at this time and with my shaky hands probably never will. Just want it to look good. Sanding with 4K and clearing is probably the route I'll take. I used to use FinesseIt (sp) for compounding when I painted my vintage race cars (the real ones). I shooting Testors or MM enamels. What compounds does everyone use?

  7. I'm mixing at 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner. The only car I've shot so far is white and red two tone (BRE Datsun) and it came out OK. A few dust specks. I haven't tried the lacquer thinner yet but I do have some left over from my days of racing and painting real cars. I'll try that with a higher PSI setting and see how it works.

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