Olle F

I wouldn't doubt that they're taking orders, the big question is if they're filling them. I placed an order three years ago, but I have yet to see the parts. Have asked for a refund several times but only got the "health issue" and "rest assured that we will deliver" runaround, and now they won't even reply to my e-mail.

Personally, I wouldn't think so. I have won more than my fair share of trophies, and I appreciate these much more than any amounts of money I could possibly have won. To be perfectly honest, the "Best Mopar Award" I won in Cookeville last year brought tears to my eyes (and it still does every time i look at it) as it was in memory of a club member that just passed away, and the honor of receiving it was worth more than any amount of money I could ever have won. Like LoneWolf15 said, bringing money into it will only cause trouble and is, in my opinion, "not in the spirit of the rules". You can't put money on the shelf, can you?

Yeah, that sure is a stumper... How in the world could a thing like that happen?

I would like to add a warning here: Some carnauba wax (don't know if they all do) you use on 1:1 cars contain some kind of solvent, possibly naphta or something similar. This won't make a difference on lacquers, but you can end up with an awful mess if you use the wrong kind of carnauba wax on enamels. Don't ask me how I know. I use enamels for all my models, and I always polish them with The Treatment. $4 ain't that bad for something that you really know will work without any headaches.

So you waited a full 19 minutes, and didn't get one single word of advice. We're no help at all, are we? And to answer your question: Grey is better than black as a base for gold. but I'd rather use white.

Yeah, those scribers work great. I have some that I bought in a hobby store, and I have also got several picks that I got from my dentist. Very useful tools for a lot of different purposes. The only problem is to find Dymo tape, many people don't even know what this is nowadays.

If you use styrene tube, you can cut the angle and sand it flush with the body after you have glued it. This should work with aluminum tube as well, but will be more difficult to cut.

I have a large set of pastels (probably 50 different colors) that I got as a present maybe 30 years ago. I haven't painted much with them, but have used them a lot for model building. It's great to have a large set like that, because you can also use them to highlight things. One example is interiors, where you can use a darker tone of the base color to give texture and recessed areas more depth. Really useful stuff!

Dymo tape works great as a disposable stick-on straightedge, and you can also cut curves in it before you stick it to the model to make a guide for rounded door corners.

The pickup tube on my Badger is probably 10 years old and still going strong. I have never even thought of replacing it as part of the cleaning, I just spray plenty of lacquer thinner through the airbrush when I'm done painting. If there is any paint residue in the tube, I just take it off, run a pipe cleaner through it and blow it clean with compressed air.

I usually take my pictures from certain angles and a bit out of focus, that will make anything look good. Seems like you have done it again, that's a beautiful model! Got any shots of the engine?

That's a great tip, and it works well for other parts too. I pin a lot of parts that are finnicky to install without making a mess, especially mirrors and door handles. Just a little crystal Clear and it's there, and if you get a snug fit you don't even have to glue it.

I hate big wheels, so if it was just a matter of that I would hate Foose's cars too. I don't have any good examples to show you, you just have to pick up some magazines and read about his cars, they'll usually tell you about all the details. It seems like you have a very strong opinion about him and I don't want to start any arguments, but I guess that discussing Foose vs other car designers is like discussing other subjects that are simply a matter of taste and opinion. You are obviously a very talented artist yourself so I'm sure that you know that no one will win in a discussion about, for example, "Rembrandt vs Picasso".

He might not have much time to do it on the Overhaulin' show, but the thing about Foose's cars is that they are customized in a way that "doesn't show". It might sound funny, but if you compare his cars with the originals, you'll see that they have actually been "nipped and tucked" quite extensively. Still, it doesn't show first time you just look at it, you have to study them carefully to see what he did to them. He just refines the original design and brings out the best in it by massaging it very carefully so it may not be what you would call traditional customizing, but he's one of the best when it comes to making good looking cars look even better. So it's definitely not just "big wheels and a paint job". I'm not sure if I would buy any models of his cars though. I don't care much for big wheels, customs etc so I guess I'll just stick to those old, boring showroom stockers...

Or even easier: Just pre-prill the tires and use thin wood screws through the base. Totally invisible, very secure and also very easy to take off.

Are you talking about Carmageddon? That was the first thing I thought of when I saw the show. I would like to build something like that, but the problem is that I haven't found many weapons in 1:24/1:25 scale. I did see a jeep with a Browning 1919 the other day, but that's about it. Does anyone have any other sources for weapons like the 1919, M2, Miniguns and other vehicle-mounted guns?

Good luck ordering from Arrowhead. I sent a check to them almost two years ago, and still haven't seen any parts. They were quick enough to take my check to the bank though. I have inquired several times but all I get is nasty e-mails, explaining what a jerk I am when I bother them.

I don't know what Tamiya uses, but stores like Radio Shack are great sources for wire. I also salvage wire wherever I can (old appliances etc), as it's more readily available and way cheaper than aftermarket wire. If you look closely, you'll find that most aftermarket wire is nothing else than wire they bought in an electronics store, re-packed and marked up.

I'm glad that you said that, because this has happend to me every time I have tried to tint windows so I just about gave up on it until I read your comment. I have painted a lot of candy and thought the process would be similar, but spraying transparent paint on a transparent surface obviously doesn't allow for any kind of error whatsoever. I guess I just have to have more patience with it.

I'm glad the thread was resurrected though, haven't seen this one before. I just have to agree with the rest of you guys, this is a beautiful model and that paint job is outstanding!

It's not only Chrysler, and you would think that they had learned their lesson after all the junk they produced in the 70s and 80s. Domestic cars are better now, but it takes a lot to get rid of a bad reputation and they just haven't done enough about it. Putting a "Proudly made in the USA"-sticker on the vehicles may indeed make some buyers feel guilty about not buying them, but it sure doesn't make the vehicles any better. To keep on producing gas hogs it not really a good long-term strategy either. All things considered, it's not a big surprise that they have lost the market to the imports.

Or even put a piece smaller tube as a guide inside the bigger tube, and use the correct size drill bit right away? Speaking of tube, why not do it the other way around and use tube to begin with, and then fill it to the desired depth with a styrene rod? Styrene tubes and rods usually fit together nicely, so that might be an option as well.

Here is a trick I have used a few times (requires drill press, vise and some patience): Take a piece of angle metal (brass, steel, whatever) and mount it in the vise with the open side up, i.e. like this: V. Chuck something round and pointed (a nail, scratch awl, whatever you got that is straight and has a sharp pointed tip) in the drill press as a center finder and move the vise around until the center of the drill aligns with the bottom of the "V". The chuck is now centered with the channel, so a piece of round rod or tube will also be centered if you place it in the V-channel. It can be a bit tricky if you want to drill metal, as you have to hold it firmly or even clamp it, but it works quite well when drilling softer materials like wood or plastic. BTW: Here's another nifty little thing you can use, but I'm not sure if it will work on smaller parts: http://www.micromark.com/CENTER-FINDER-FOR...STOCK,7949.html Edit: I read the question again, and it's obviously about drilling a hole in the end of a rod... Oh well, now you know how to cut a perpendicular hole anyway.

With all that traction you'll probably need wheelie bars.

That's a great tip right there! I came up with a similar tool many years ago using Micro Scales "Liquitape", and it sure saves a lot of cussing and aggravation. It works great for PE-parts, headlight lenses and other tiny parts you just can't hold with tweezers.