Plastheniker

Very clean and smooth paintwork. BTW looking at your very last picture makes me think that you have the same problem as me when resizing photos of orange or even more red cars. On full-size pictures the red areas of my models look okay but after resizing they seem to have dark spots all over. This phenomenon does not appear if I choose at least 130KB or even 200KB when resizing to usual 800 x 600.

Thanks for the further comments! Hakan, how about an alternative?

Thanks for the recent replies! No, I am sorry, there are no engine pictures. Of course this is a matter of taste, but I hate opening hoods, doors, and trunk lids because mostly (if not always) they are not completely flush and properly aligned or show varying gaps. Eliminating these problems completely and finally means to me fixing these parts, i. e. gluing them shut, all the more since I build only for my display case and nobody (including me) would ever open them. That is why I always build and detail only what could be visible if the model is turned upside down. Whenever I feel inclined to display an engine/gearbox I buy a second kit or superdetail a complete chassis as already shown on my Casadio GP models.

Thanks for all comments! No question, the E-Type is one of the very few timeless beauties, no matter if S1, S1½ or S2 and no matter if OTS or FHC. I am not so sure, however, about S3 and the 2+2. As so often when car designs were modified during production the very first design looks best. IMO S1 3.8 and S1 4.2 are the E-Type. Bruce, wire wheels were standard for the E-Type until 1971 when the S3 (=V12) model was introduced. At that time painted steel wheels with chromed rim embellishers or chromed steel wheels became standard, and chromed wires became optional. No Helmut, I built the model OOB. But I agree, the front stance is a bit lower than on pictures of the 1:1 car. Maybe the considerable weight of the numerous pewter parts concentrated there pressed the front slightly down over the years. Being honest I must admit that after such a long time I don't really remember how I proceeded here. But after turning the model upside down and considering my later proceeding when removing lateral seams of e. g. Casadio/Revival kits I am rather sure that first of all I glued the upper half and the lower half (=the floor pan) of the body together and reinforced the back of the seam. After thorough drying I scribed one groove right and a second groove left into the floorpan where the sides of the floor pan were still flat. Deeper scribing separated the flat floor pan from the upper body half with the now perfectly aligned lower sides. Then it was easy to assemble the model following the instruction sheet. If the reinforcement of the seam is strong enough nothing will crack when the sides of the body are bent outwards to re-join it with the floor pan during the final assembly. Michael, the colour was called 'Opalescent Silver Blue'. I wish I had a sister-in-law ...

Another stunning wheathering on an unusual and attractive model. Excellent!

Excellent work as always. I wonder why Italeri's nice Volvo is so seldom shown.

Excellent craftmanship and very good colour choice!

Hi, As already said in previous topics maybe 20 years ago Gunze Sangyo produced two versions of the same 1/24 car kits: The first line was rather expensive. These kits were labeled “Gunze Sangyo High Tech Model”. They included PE wire wheels (if the 1:1 vehicle had wires), a lot of other PE parts and many pewter parts not only for the engine and the chassis but also for the exterior chrome parts (f. e. bumpers, door handles). The second line were inexpensive all-plastic curbside versions of these “High Tech” kits. They came without pewter parts and without PE parts. The PE wires were replaced by plastic spoke wheels. I bought only one “High Tech Model”, namely this E-Type. If my memory serves me well it was the most expensive 1/24 plastic kit in those days, so my expectations were rather high. But as the proverb says strong light casts deep shadow: To this day this kit makes the most convincing 1/24 or 1/25 E-Type by far, and the PE wires are the best wires that I know. Some of the numerous PE parts made sense but the benefit of most of them was doubtful. The extensive use of pewter parts made no sense to me. Compared with plastic parts they have no additional benefit but work becomes very laborious. IMO a really annoying set-back was the use of pewter also for the exterior chrome parts (f. e. bumpers, door handles). It was extremely time-consuming giving them a smooth chrome-like appearance. Even worse my clear coat didn’t prevent these parts from darkening over the years. Fortunately I was still able to find a plastic version, so I replaced all those darkened exterior pewter parts of my model by nice chromed styrene parts. Taking the high price of the High Tech version into account, I was rather annoyed despite the outstanding wheels. Overall IMO the all-plastic kit would have been the better choice. With some improvements, particularly with better wires, it could have made a similarly nice model at a reasonable price. Nevertheless I found the finished model convincing, and it is still standing in the first row of my display cabinet.

Thanks for the recent comments! My next model will be another scratch built German vintage heavy truck, namely the 1958 Mercedes LP 333, the first German twin-steer truck. Its odd appearance makes it very popular among German/European vintage truck enthusiasts. Everyone knows it by its nickname "Tausendfüssler" (= millipede). I hope that in a few weeks you will be interested again.

Brian, this is not only kit-assembling, this is true modeling. Great detailing brings this usually not very interesting kit to life. The colour is spot-on.

Robert, this is one of the most beautiful rigs I saw during the past months. Excellent craftmanship and great colour choice. As so often simple colour schemes are the most effective on a model.

Jacobus, we would really like to see the clearer pictures you mentioned. Such an unusual vehicle deserves this additional effort.

Thanks for the latest replies! For those who do not remember I would like to mention that my 2013 tutorial "Glazing Resin Cabs without Glue" shows a few pictures of the unpainted W-71 cab of this topic.

Thanks for the recent comments! BTW it was this contemporary picture that inspired me to build a similar rig:

Thanks for the further comments! Sam, Skip, Brian, IMO this is the best way of detailing dashboard gauges: Remove the moulded dials and bezels from the kit dashboard. Apply dial decals. Choose a piece of bright wire, either silver wire (silver plated copper wire) or stainless steel wire. I recommend stainless steel wire because silver plating may stain sooner or later. For 1/24 scale models 0.25mm or 0.4mm diameter works depending on the actual width of the original vehicle's bezel. Choose a rod with a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the desired bezel. You can use a conic brush-handle or a set of drill bits. Wrap the wire around the rod several times. Slip this wire coil off the rod and cut it lengthwise with a pair of small scissors to produce several (slightly deformed by cutting) wire rings. Put one of these rings onto a hard and even surface and flatten it.Very probably this will not flatten the ring completely, then pick it up and press cautiously with two tweezers antagonistically. Put it back on the surface and close the remaining gap by pressing both ends together with a tweezer. Giving the ring its percect circular appearance back is amazingly easy because the wire seems to remember its former circular shape. Your first bezel is now complete.Don't worry about the remaining tiny gap. The glare of the ring makes it invisible on the dashboard, particularly when you turn the gap downwards. Apply a minimum of gel-type super glue on one or two spots of the back of the bezel and apply it onto the dial decal just to fix it provisionally. Then apply a drop of clear onto the decal for simulating glass and fixing the bezel simultaneously. I am using this technique on all models (when suitable) for more than 30 years. It works in scales at least from 1/16 to 1/35. It is easy, fast and inexpensive. It gives better results than expensive (if you find the correct diameters) PE bezels. Brian, the exterior paint is mixed inexpensive automotive laquer, the interior paint is a mixture of several Humbrol/Revell matte and semi-gloss enamels. I have the H 67 in my stash. The casting quality is not that bad b u t the grille is a part of the cab casting. If you search the web you will hardly find a finished model with an acceptable grille.

Thanks for the comments so far! Sam, Skip, the door handles were nicely done separate resin parts included in the box. I converted a now unavailable AMT Cruiseliner chassis. The chassis of the recently reissued (former MPC/Ertl) DM 600, however, is much better. In the nineties (I think) I wrote an article for FSM about detailing car interiors and making better gauges. If I can find the issue I will PM you a copy tomorrow. If I cannot find it I will post a description here in this topic next weekend. James, the tarp is made of styrene sheet and a lot of putty. The tarp loops are bent strips of thin styrene. The cord that holds the tarp down is 0.3mm nylon monofilament fishing line. It is sold in black and clear. Black doesn't look convincing on the model, and any paint doesn't adhere very well on nylon. Therefore I used transparent fishing line, and pulled it several times through a piece of folded sandpaper in order to achieve a milky surface. This gives a better appearance when painted afterwards with a yellow permanent marker.

Very unusual but attractive paint combination. Both kits were always among the best Ertl and AMT kits.

Pavel, again a perfect weathering as on your Bedford wrecker - but a completely different weathering due to the different uses of the 1:1 vehicles. Excellent!

Hi, This is my third finished AITM cab (nine more still in the stash). Most things said about my preceding GMC 9500 Short Hood http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74735 Mack F http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85208 apply also to this cab. A few peculiarities, however, should be mentioned: The original W-71 cab had no grille as the GMC and the F but a radiator shutter. Opposite to the unsatisfactory resin grilles of AITM's GMC and F the radiator shutter of my W-71 was well-made and required only minor work. While the casting quality of the GMC and F was mediocre to poor the casting of my W-71 was abysmal. Actually the surface of this cab was not much poorer than the surface of my F cab. The W-71, however, has a lot of moldings. I found most of the numberless (often deep and large) surface flaws close to these moldings or even worse in the confined areas between two moldings or a molding and a raised hatch. Finally I found it impossible to achieve an acceptable surface, so I removed nearly all moldings, finished the cab surfaces and then made new moldings from styrene. The recessed areas around the door windows varied in width and depth conspiciously. I had to make a pattern from sheet metal, fixed it on the doors and scraped the recessed areas with a chisel-like blade. All panel lines and gaps were either not straight or not angular but crooked and/or sinuous. I suppose (I am no casting expert) that this happens if the silicone mold is insufficiently stabilized while casting. Moreover these panel lines and gaps varied in depth an width, so I closed them all and rescribed them. Whatever I used for filling the lines and gaps was harder than the rather soft cab resin. This made rescribing difficult and required several attempts for achieving an acceptable result. As mentioned above I can compare the casting quality of nine further AITM cabs. The casting quality of my W-71 was the poorest by far. As usual I built a complete new interior and my own Alcoa wheels. The trailer was scratch built.

Admittedly I am not a big friend of military models, but this is perfect modeling in every respect.

Always nice to see an unusual model like the DAF. As far as I know it is OOP for a long time.

Again excellent modelling, spot-on weathering and outstanding photography give a really complete illusion second to none!

Of course the tractor is an attractive model all around, but your unique trailer is a real masterpiece!

Very attractive colour and excellent paintwork!

So did I in the sixties. The episodes with Diana Rigg , however, have been rerun so often on German TV (B/W the earlier epidodes, the later produced in colour) that I still remember the colour of Emma Peel's car. Patrick Macnee was almost as popular as Diana Rigg to this day. All major German newspapers printed a short obituary last week, even the most important German weekly political news magazine "Der Spiegel".