Pete J.

I have probably owned and tried just about every scriber out there and this is far and away my go too tool when I need to work panel lines. It is easy to control and cuts with a really sharp tool. http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?cPath=21_105&products_id=474

Just out of curiosity, did you mean KC-135? The 130 doesn't have a boom to my knowledge. It has dual probe and drogues in the wings. Just asking because I spent 10 years in the 70's as a pilot in 135's. The Boomer on a 135 is also a load master.

$25 an hour? Boy you work cheap! A $25 an hour job is not the best job in the world and for a person with finely honed and specialized skills that hardly covers the starting costs.

You know what this really is is one of Harry's "What is it's." Man nobody would have gotten this one.

Mark - What did you texture it with? Looks very nice.

Ok, so what is it?

The illusion of central position. It bites us all at one time or another!

It is technically a syndrome referred to as "analysis paralysis". I think this thread shows that this is one subject that everyone has an opinion about. I think I can break it down into six categories. 1- That ain't how they do it on the real cars. 2- I need to protect my decals, because they will fall off. 3- I am accounting for the scale effect. 4- I like my models super shiny. 5- I am getting rid of unevenness. 6- I built for myself and will do what I darned well please. So did I leave anyone out? I doubt we will ever arrive at a consensus but it is always good to hear other opinions.

Mark, I assume this that acid etching process you are using. I really like the looks of it. Very clean!

Harry, don't feel so bad, I check the obits every morning just to make sure my name isn't there. Then proceed with the rest of the day.

Well, Frigidaire was a subdivision of GM so I suppose after a fashion they did make cars.

refrigerator....got to be a refrigerator.

Yea, I have dated girls with personality when I was younger too!

It's a 1955 omagawditsugly!

Ok, the mill is set up and the chips are flying! The first two pieces off the mill are frame rails. There is some cleanup left to do but for my first try with the mill I am happy. First thing I did was lay out the rail using the plastic piece as a pattern. I used two pieces of .030 brass strip and glued them together with super glue. I blued the top piece of brass and scratched the pattern into the blue with a diamond scriber. After I did the design work, I glued it to a piece of Plexiglas so I could hold it to the tool plate. First operation was to bore the holes with a boring tool. Then I cut the pieces with a 1/8" mill end and ran some acetone underneath to brake them free. I left them glued togeather to clean up the shape so they would be mirror images. Now I have to file them flat and sand them to get rid of the file marks. Follow that with a little polish and I can start making cross members and engine and suspension mounts. This is going to be fun. Love the mill!

Way to take what I said out of context!

Harry, I don't think it is true that car modelers are willing to accept sub-par models. They are just unwilling to pay for them. The Japanese manufacturers put out some really faithful and accurate models and the web site if full of people howling about prices. A good 1:35 scale tank lists for $50 to $80 and a top quality 1:25 scale car from the same manufacture is in the same range. Tamiya's RB6 lists for $105. There are a lot of automotive builders who are stuck in the 60's when it comes to price. They gripe if the cost is over $20 and complain that the kit is BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH. Well, you get what you pay for. Stuff that is made with 50's technology and 50's methods is cheap, but the quality is exactly what you would expect for that price. When we quit buying cheap kits, they will quit repoping them.

Drew - This is true but the issue I have with this statement and the "clear coat" question is this. Look and any "how too" from the military guys and none of them follow the same process at was used to create the 1:1 scale stuff. The process they use is generally a coat of future to get a high gloss finish to put the decal on followed by a clear coat of flat or semigloss. The 1:1s are generally painted with a stencil but this is the process that they follow to get that look. To get a even gloss(no I did not say super glossy) across the model with decals you are going to have to clear coat it to make it look the same. The level of finish work that you do should replicate that gloss. If a modeler puts too much clear on and it looks out of scale, that is not right. I have seen far too many models on the table that the clear is applied to thickly. Don't like that at all. I have also heard people say the urethane paint does that. Not true. If you spray it the way it is off the automotive shelf you will get to much on the model. It can be thinned to a more appropriate level. I think Mark Jones does a great job of that. Very much in scale. Also while on the subject of military modelers, "Scale effect" has been a real issue in that community for years. I have seen model aircraft painted with the real deal paint from the same can as was used to paint the real aircraft and it looks way too dark on a model. Most aircraft modelers add a bit of white to their paints. At distance, real aircraft appear lighter. It is just a trick the eyes play on us. In automotive modeling the same thing happens with the gloss and orange peel and stickers. The further you get away from them the better they look. Almost all cars as they come from the factory have an unevenness to their paint jobs. It looks like a mild orange peel, but you have to get right next to the vehicle to see it. A high end paint job that you get on show cars is the result of hours of meticulous sanding to get rid of that unevenness. On a road car, the natural unevenness of the paint becomes less apparent as you move away from it. If someone put a production car finish on a model, it would look horrible. Scale effect in my opinion, should be accounted for. The gloss level should be about what you see at 20 feet on a real car. Very few people get their face closer that one foot when looking at a model and it should reflect(sorry for the pun) that level of gloss.

Very true, but you are not going to get a decal that will replicate that are you? How do you do that without a coating of some sort over the top?

Amen!

I think the error here is that we are all referring to "race cars" like they are all the same and this is just not true. As Drew stated. do the research. Find out what is appropriate and do that correctly. Stating that glossy clear coat is wrong on all race cars is as grossly incorrect and saying it is correct. If you want to state your opinion, please specify the type of race car. Here is is photo of Vettel's car at San Paulo last year. Looks very glossy and clean to me. No hint of semigloss even on the stickers. If I were building this one(and I will) I will clearcoat because even though the designs and sponsors are stickers, they have the same gloss as the paint and there is no hint of the edge of the sticker. You would have to get within inches of the car to see the edge of the sticker. In scale that would mean looking at it with a magnifying glass. In short, do the research and match the finish on the car you are replicating at a reasonable scale distance .

Porsche use to do a shortened windscreen and lay it back a bit. They called them club sports. I have to say, I like your modifications to get rid of the "load in the diaper" look. Very nice!

Oh I love this subject. Lots of points of view and each one can be supported to one degree or the other. As far as clear coating goes, I always clear coat as a minimum to put a protective layer over the decals. I have dinged unprotected decals with a fingernail by accident when handling them so clear coat is the rule on my builds. Second reason for clear coating- I can sand the edge down and get rid of the over scale edge of the decal. I really like the final paint reflection to not have an ugly edge even if it is just carrier film. Clear coat it and then gently sand the edge away. This also prevents an unrealistic edge if I choose to weather the finish. Rubbing powders or washes will accumulate in that edge will leave a bit of a line. As to the gloss, you can adjust it with rubbing compounds and sandpaper to get the level gloss you want or simply one last coat of semi gloss or flat paint. In other words, clear coating doesn't necessarily mean high gloss. If you talk to a military model builder they always lay down a coat of clear gloss before they put the decals on. This keeps the decals from "silvering". Then they coat them with what ever gloss clear then need to finish. Additionally, if you weather the vehicle, you should have a protective layer of clear over them to get an even layer of grime and washes may interact with decal surface differently than a painted surface. As to judging, well that is another issue. Personally when I judge, I look for consistency. Most important in finish is quality of the paint job. No booger, bugs, dust, or other foreign objects. There shouldn't be and orange peel or fisheyes either. The finish needs to be consistent over the whole body. Basically, the same level of gloss. If it is flat, then flat throughout. Same for high gloss. No dull spots. Beyond that, I leave it up to the builder to decide what type of gloss level is appropriate when it comes to race vehicles. As I said, a case can be made for every level of gloss. As to accuracy, that simply should not be a general criteria. Why? Because it is impossible for any judge to be an expert on every class, and type of race car and know all the subtleties of each make that may show up on a contest table. That is just expecting too much. I have great respect for Drew and his knowledge of race cars is unsurpassed in many catagories, but even he can't speak to every type of race car and I doubt that he would try. You also can't say that every race car ever made is beat up. Current F1 cars are very clean, glossy and straight before each race. Why? Same reason that airlines keep their aircraft clean and shiny. They perform better. Dirt and dents cause aerodynamic drag and add weight. In both cases this slight degradation in performance could be the difference between wining and loosing. Same thing with LeMans cars on the starting grid. If accuracy was a general criteria and the class is race cars, the level of knowledge of the judge can be a severe advantage or disadvantage. If you entered a dirt tracker and Drew was the judge, lord help you, it had better be right. Is that fair then for that builder when Drew may not have even the basics of some other race car? Not really. No one can be an expert on everything. Now having said that there is an exception to this and strangely IPMS is trying it now. Take a look at the new rules. There is a class for "Documented Replica". The criteria requires documentation. It doesn't matter if it is your Dad's Oldsmobile or Vettel's RB9. Ya gotta have the data! We will see how that works out. It is an interesting way to judge. Well that is my nickels worth.

Mark - Ya gotta admit, sometimes it is fun to do it in metal jus cuz ya can!