Pete J.

I tried thread before and just never had any success. Many years ago, I was in Japan and ran into Hasagawa/Tritool photo etched saws and fell in love with them. You can literally cut a door out and re-glue it, the kerf is so small. In the right hands they can be very accurate a pleasure to use. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes so you can get in many places that other methods just won't get to. Mine have lasted at least 10 years, so I can recommend them very highly. Here is the link to HLJ but you can get them in other places as well. Any hobby shop that is well stocked should carry them. http://www.hlj.com/product/HSGTP-4

You got em! I'll get them in the mail on Friday.

I tried this post on an earlier thread and got not reaction. I was going through my tool box the other day and found several tips and needles and a replacement needle tube holder for a Badger Crescendo. The air brush is long gone so I have no need for them. If you would like them, send me a PM and I will drop them in the mail to you. First one up gets them. No charge.

The fit problems that you experienced are probably not your fault. Tamiya designed this kit to a very close tolerance and a coat of paint will cause things to not fit properly. This was true when I wrote this article for the first Enzo build. http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=30 These tolerances have not changed with the FXX kit. Sorry that I didn't post this earlier as I am sure it would have saved some issues with the build. Perhaps it will be of use to others who come behind.

For all you Crescendo affectionados - I was going through my tool box and came up with 4 or 5 needles and tips and a needle tube holder. First one to PM me their address can have them. I will even pay the postage - USA only please. Too much hassle to ship overseas. Sorry.

Crescendo is long gone and I have moved on. My point is that there is no best. You just get the one or in my case 3 that do what you want to have done best. I am still a sucker for the airbrush booths as shows. So far I have not found anything that does the job better than what I have, or at least not enough to justify getting a new brush. Spend the money. Get a good one and it really doesn't matter all that much. Just like a firearm in the military. Take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Good luck.

I've started with an early badger that had a tip the blew air over the tip of a siphon that was stuck in a bottle. Very basic. Since then I have had an early Aztek, a badger Crescendo, 2 Tamiya's and an Iwada. All were very useful and all have their flaws. Here is my take. Gravity feeds are great for little quick projects. You have a part that needs to have several different colors or different metalizers. They do that well. Siphon feeds are great for doing large areas. You can get bottles in a lot of sizes so you can load up and shoot all day. If you are not using catalyzed paints you can leave them in over night and keep shooting the next day. I have on occasion left the brush loaded for up to a week with no issues(clear paint mostly). I always recommend dual action. Most dual actions have adjustable stops, so they can be used just like a single action. The same can not be said for a single action. Depending on the paint you shoot and the way you use it, you may need more than one brush eventually. If all you are doing is laying down a coat of color, get the largest tip you can find. Automotive paints have somewhat larger particles and will in some instances not shoot through a very small tip. Also larger tips work great for larger areas. Very fine tips are for fine detail work like coloring exhausts and shading. This is just like house painting. A 3" wide brush is great for doing a wall, but sucks at doing trim. There are rare instances in which a brush will have different tips available. I have an Iwata HVLP-50 which barely qualifies as an airbrush. It is more of a miniature touch up gun. It has three different tips and can shoot a fan up to 2"wide and as narrow as 1/16". I don't recommend it to most because of the price and size, but it is a nice professional piece. I bought it to replace my Crescendo for 1:12 scale bodies shot with automotive Lacquers. It is seriously versatile. I still have two Tamiya's which get as much use so don't assume that it does it all. Who makes the best brush? No one! All the major manufactures make very good quality brushes. Paasche, Iwata, Grex, Badger, Tamiya are all top quality machines. Pick one that you can readily get parts for, keep it clean and they will all give you great service. If you use it a lot, you will eventually wind up with several for different uses. These things are tools and each does somethings well and others not so good. Get the right tool for what you want to do. But don't be afraid to spend good money on one. You will have it for a long time. Good luck

They must have changed them if you can replace the bearing. My Crescendo bearing when out a long time ago and I took it to Coast air brush. They said it couldn't be replaced, so I moved on. Loved it while it worked.

Harry - Yea, that is a good one. I'm going with real because the spokes look to be the right size. Most of these model bikes have spokes that are about twice the size of the real thing because they are plastic. Now, granted someone could have strung it with wire, but if they did, it is a really nice job. Real

Oh, the tools that we use! The sharper they are the better they work, the more damage they do. I couldn't even count the things in my tool box that would take out and eye, slice a finger, sever a tendon, poke a foot. All things that we need to look after. Rule #1-Keep a clean desk, that way things don't wind up in your lap or in the top of your foot. Rule #2-Stuff rolls. Stationary stores make triangular thingees(the technical term) that keep pens from rolling off desks. They work great for tools. Get a bunch of them. Rule #3- Use a tool as it is intended to be used. Scribers and photo etched saws work best for opening panels. Get some and don't be cheap. The tools cost less than the medical bills. Rule #4- Think about what you are doing before you do it. Keep flesh out of the line of cutting of the tool. Rule #5 - Think these rules don't apply to you?? Read the above posts Be safe. How do you think I know these rules?

I got to go with model! I don't like the way some of the stripes look.

Been using DuPont clear lacquer for years and never had any serious problems. Use a cool thinner(fastest evaporating) and spray it thin the first couple of coats. I use 5 parts thinner to 1 part paint. Let it set for an hour then a second light coat. Sit over night, then you can lay on more coats 15 to 30 minutes apart. No such thing as a wet coat. Lacquer needs to be rubbed out. Part of the design. Don't wait to long or it will get harder than *****, well, you know.

Juha is one of the best out there, but lord does he pick some strange cars. Granted, nobody else would lavish that much time one some of them, but then I suppose that gives him a very unique collection.

Orange peel is the result of paint drying before it has time to self level. There are a lot of causes that are variants from the "normal". An increase in temperature causes it to dry faster. Spraying from a greater distance makes it arrive at the surface dryer. A slight reduction in the ratio of paint to thinner has the same outcome. Using a different quicker drying (lower temperature) solvent also causes the effect. Once you have identified the culprit, the the solution becomes obvious. As a general rule, I would suggest getting your delivery mechanism(airbrush or can) closer to the model and move faster to prevent drips and runs. Kind of basic, but that is a quick once through.

Worth every penny you paid for it Mark! It will be a great piece for the desk and an excellent conversation starter.

Ya, I'm going with one of Juha's creations also. Drip rails and window trim and fit. He does great stuff even if it is a bit on the esoteric side.

A Russian Fiat? Why?

Don't forget the European wagons. This is a phantom that I did several years ago. This is an Alfa 155 V6 TT crossed with a Volvo BTCC wagon. The top/wagon came from the Volvo and was chopped 2 scale inches and inserts were added to make it a bit more Alfa like in profile. The glass is scratch built and the decals were done by a friend of mine on an Alps printer. The hood was a bit loose when I photographed it but does fit well. Then engine has some minor detailing. It was really quite a complex project but a real hoot. You ought to see people scratch their heads at shows trying to figure out if it is a replica of just what it is.

I know you don't want to give away your source, but do they have a web site?

That is impressive!

Yea! I got one of the tough ones! The give away go me was the clear coat over the side badge and there are a couple of small covers for clips on the front bumper covere missing. Other than that it is a great model. Harry - who makes the kit?

I'm going against the grain on this one, and saying model. A lot of little clues for me. #1 is a right hand drive. Not real common in a Ferrari. Hints of a model from Japan. #2 they clear coated over the Rampant Cavalino on the fender. Also some of the creases in the body work look like they got too much clear in them. Got to say though, the reflections in the light look pretty real.

Here is a basic pimer on painting with rattle cans. http://www.tamiyausa.com/articles/feature.php?article-id=35

Charlz - You started this thread with "I'll never be as good as y'all". I will reply with, no you will never be as good as all the guys here. Frankly, no one will be that good. No matter how good I get, there is always someone who does something better than me. I may be very good at some bits but everyone on this site has at least one thing he does better. Just the way it is. As others have said, I build to my standard. When I do something(anything) better than the last time, it makes me happy. Each piece is a victory. Enjoy it.

Sssssshhhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone. This will just be our little secret Here is the URL to the company that makes Micro-mesh. They sell direct and are cheaper than other places. http://www.micro-surface.com/ By the way, the orange peel that you have encountered is from the paint drying on the way from the source to the model and not having enough solvent left to self level once it is on the model. Two ways to solve it. Move the source closer to the model and move faster so you don't get a run, or if you are using an airbrush, more thinner. Best thing to sand orange peel with is one of the sanding sticks. Wet sand until the bumps are gone then smooth it out with finer grits. Get rid of as much of the sanding scratches as possible the clear coat with a similar paint.