Olle F

That's good news, I didn't know that there are non-fogging CA-glues! Are there any brands/types in particular that you would recommend? I love CA and use a lot of it, but after a few disasters I always have that nagging feeling that something bad will happen so I'm very careful with how and where I use it. I usually use Loctite gel as it works well, it's easy to find, doesn't dry too quickly and the fogging seems to be minimal as long as you don't use excessive amounts. Best thing about it is that the cap never sticks. But I'm sure there are better alternatives that are made especially for model building.

I use super glue for a lot of things like that, only problem is that it can fog the paint. It seems to be different, depending on brand and type of glue, but there's always a chance that it will happen. In my experience, you can avoid that by hitting it with accelerator before the fogging appears. IMO, the safest alternative on painted surfaces would be a water based glue. It's not very strong, but it won't harm paint and it's easy to wipe off if you make a mess, so I think it's great for final assemblies. If you want a stronger joint, I'd recommend epoxy. And I agree with Andy, tube glues are nasty, and they are really not good for anything. I guess they don't dry quick enough, so they stay wet long enough for the solvents to attach just about anything.

I was afraid of that...

Seems like there's some motion blur in the background and on the track, but none on the car = model...?

Ok, this is probably the 10th time I have opened this thread to enjoy the pictures, so I guess it's time to make a comment... I like it... A lot! A great build of one of the meanest looking race cars ever!

Yep, just about any of his models would make my top 10. I have had the pleasure of seeing many of his creations at shows, and I can tell you that all the great pictures you see actually don't do them justice, they look even better in real life. He probably has to wipe the drool off of them after the shows.

Or just drill and recess pieces of aluminum tubing. I would go with the new '49 Merc, it even comes with those taillights, doesn't it?

Some of the knobs don't "look right", and I don't know about the driveshaft hump. It doesn't look like leather grain, and it's definitely not carpet. Those plates on the grab handles look a bit thick as well. I'd say model.

Doesn't matter if it's stock, custom or drag, you can use BMF on pretty much anything that needs a chrome finish. It's just a way to simulate chrome, instead of using silver paint. Try it, you'll like it.

I like the way he did the louvers. I guess that's styrene ladders for H0 dioramas?

I have tried it, and I threw it away just like Gregg did. It's difficult to work with, any little wrinkle or crack will show, and I can't really see that it does anything that can't be done easier and better with paint.

I used to use channel locks until I found this: http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=81313 Works great, and you don't need to worry about crushing the jar. It is a bit flimsy and can bend if you apply too much force, but if the top is so badly stuck that the tool won't remove it, it's usually too far gone to save anyway. And of course, keeping things clean helps a lot too. I usually make a mess when I stir the paint with a stick (those little Humbrol tin cans can get especially messy when I'm having a bad day), so one trick I use to keep my jars and cans clean is to drop 2-3 BBs in them first time I open them. Then I can just shake them to stir the paint, just like you do with a spray can. It might not help you all that much with the cleaning issue, but it sure makes it easy to stir the paint.

Cool, have to try that! It seems like I always have to carv some on my finished parts when I do the final assembly, so this can hopefully be a way to avoid that.

Very nice, and it sure gives me new ideas for what to do with my kit! The funny thing about it is that the race stance actually makes that much debated roof line look just right.

I have never used Future on windows, but I'm sure it will help. I usually polish mine with "The Treatment" model wax (available from, for example, Detailmaster) before I mount them, and it works great. It will polish and protect at the same time, and it is great for polishing paint as well.

Sounds like a good idea! Now, how do you take it all apart and clean it up? Can you just pop it apart and scrape the glue off, do you have to soak everything in water, or how do you do it?

I don't trust myself with brushes or Sharpies on a freshly painted model, so the few times I have done this (I usually don't build modern cars...) I have gone the fool-proof way and masked it with BMF and airbrushed Testors "Black Chrome Trim". This paint has a nice semi-gloss sheen that looks like the real thing. You could also brush paint it, but this paint needs to go on rather wet when you brush it, so there is a chance that you'll get some bleeding under the BMF. BMF is a very good masking material though, so this shouldn't be a problem if you just burnish the edges thoroughly.

I'm not as scientific about it as Ismael, so I'll just say that the antenna "doesn't look right to me". And it might just be my failing eyesight, but it seems like the decals are slightly translucent and showing some of the body color. I vote for model.

I usually build older cars with chromed mirrors, but I do them the same way as others have already described: Drill, pin and test fit before paint, and they are also among the last parts I put on. I use Crystal Clear, so any excess can be cleaned off easily without messing up the paint. I would do a painted mirror the same way. It will be much easier and safer to paint, polish and assemble the model if you mount the mirrors last, and you don't have to fumble around and get glue all over the door if you pin it. It also makes a strong joint, so you won't knock the mirrors off when you play with the finished model.

Amen. IMO, some of the best kits ever are AMT's '57 Bel Air, '57 Fairlane, '56 Crown Vic and '58 Impala. They are among the oldest kits on the market, but they have just about everything I want from a good kit: The subject is right, they look right, they sit right, the details are right, in short: It's possible to build a model that looks very close to the real thing without too much kitbashing or modifications. Some of R/M's newer models fall into the same category, for example their '69 Camaro, '65 Impala and the new '49 Mercury. On the other end of the spectrum we have Monogram's '57 Bel Air, '69 Camaro and a few others that are so grossly out of proportion that it's virtually impossible to do anything with them unless you're a die-hard masochist. It doesn't matter that I love the 1:1 cars, I still wouldn't touch such turds with a 10-ft pole. The funny (well...) thing is that many of these are still on the market. It just goes to show that those who want their models to be accurate are in minority, we are simply not the bread and butter for the manufacturers. This is probably why it's so difficult to find good kits. The manufacturers know that there's only a few of us nitpickers out there, 99% of the buyers are casual builders who will buy anything that's "close enough" to the 1:1 car they like, brush paint it, slap it together and call it good. This really makes me appreciate efforts like Revell's '49 Mercury, it's like Christmas every time you find a kit like that.

Well, seems like I'm in luck. I stopped by at the LHS today, and the guy told me that he was able to track down the good, old Humbrol #53 and had it in the store waiting for me. I bought three cans, so I probably won't run out in the next 20-30 years or so. Happy, happy, joy, joy! I'm still going to try some of the other varieties you guys mentioned though, doesn't hurt to try new methods!

There are many cars I would like to see as model kits, but this is one thing I would really love for someone to make: Repops of the original JoHan bodies, plus new and better parts for interior, chassis and drivetrain. JoHan had a lot of interesting models, but I don't believe any of them can be built as a convincing replica of the real thing, unless you want to spend hundreds of hours kit bashing or scratch building your own parts. For example, the 1960 DeSoto would be a winner, it's one of the most beautiful cars ever designed. This might just be a wet dream though, I don't know how much there's left of their tools, and the condition of the tools that do exist may not be good enough for mass production anymore.

I don't know much about Tamiyas putty, but that is easy enough to try. I have had very good luck thinning most 1-k fillers with laquer thinner. Makes it easy to fill scratches, and makes it stick like glue.

Numbering the parts like that sounds like a great idea if you're dealing with a lot of parts. I airbrush most parts so in order to do this in a rational way (I hate to clean the airbrush...), I usually try to "batch" them and paint all parts of the same color in one swoop. Now, I usually build models of cars that I know fairly well, so I can pretty much cut 99% of the parts off the spue and still know where they go. If there are "mystery parts" that can't be easily identified without a number, I usually get around that by doing what Bill said: Take it off the sprue and paint it right before I need it. Here are some methods I use to hold the parts while I paint then: -Keep it on the sprue. I almost never do that as the parts are usually attached in a place that needs to be touched up after you cut them off. Some people swear by it though. -Drill a hole in the part, stick a piece of wire or a pin in it and hold it in a "third hand" (like this: http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ct&ID=21120 ). You can also use an eraser as a holder for pinned parts. -Roll up some masking tape with the tacky side out. Stick it to, for example, a shoe box and stick your parts to the tape. This works best with parts that only need paint on one side, but I have used this method for pretty much everything with fair to great results. I just shoot one side, let the parts dry thoroughly, then I turn them over and paint the other side. It works well with dull finishes (chassis and suspension parts), but it's not all that great when you're painting a high gloss that shows dry spray etc.

Check this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1969-Camaro...sspagenameZWDVW