Pete J.

Hate to say this but there are no standout hobby shops. It seems that the major shop, Discount Hobby warehouse is closing its main store. The only one I am familar with in SoCal is Pegasus in Montclair. https://pegasushobbies.net/catalog/index.html?osCsid=12h1l3qudptvmp28m0b5jdl850 Worth the trip, but on a good day it is still over an hour and a half or more from San Diego. There is also Brookhurst Hobbies https://brookhursthobbies.com/, in beautiful Garden Grove, but it is also an hour and a half minimum and you get the joy of experiencing the 405. No worse traffic in California. If you have only one to go to, Pegasus is my choice. Sorry I don't have any better answers for you. Perhaps someone else will be better able to help you out.

Well what do you know, another convert! Your very welcome. It really feels go when you can help someone, especially if it involves a new tool!

Yes, but it is the twin turbo version. One for each bank of airhorns on the front!?

Ok Tim, now that is interesting. I have not seen anyone use a screw and a T-nut as a stop to keep the chuck from shifting on the rotary table under the stress of machining. I assume that is the purpose. If there are others uses for that technique I would like to know. I love these little tidbits that I pick up on how you do your work. Thanks

Smooth as a color?? I tend to go to the blues for that. Smooth water or smooth air have a blue tint to them and that is what I think of when I think of smooth.

I am sorry to say I know this one! It's a Pontiac Aztek, drag queen model! ?

Wow, I never even came close! If I were Chevy, I would sue. This thing is just that ugly!

Been waiting for this for a long time! Superb work. I'm just glad you are back at the bench. Love seeing this! Pete

I mentioned it to Dave some time ago. I had the same issue on the IPMS site after January 1st, but they cleared it up after about a week.

I am getting to the age that I need to dispose of some of my huge collection of kits. Frankly, I don't want to leave this mess to my family to try and figure out. I know we cannot sell them on this site, so I am looking for advise on other websites that you may have used to either buy or sell on. I know that I can go to e-bay, but they have such a huge book that I suspect my offerings may get lost. I have some rare stuff that is worth hundreds if not close to thousands, but the majority are more mudain pieces that I would like to see go to a good home. The vast majority of the kits are Tamiya autos and bikes. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thought it might be worth showing you some of the stuff you can do with their equipment.

Yup, I agree with peteski! Sherline is the cadillac in this genera. I have had their lathe and mill for probably 15 years now and you couldn't pry it out of my shop. Of course I am a bit spoiled as the factory is about 30 minutes away. Any time I need either a part or advise, I head over there. Very friendly folks! They have no problem talking to anyone about all things machining. Got a problem you can't figure out? Call one of their master machinists and they will help. There support staff is exceptional and very approachable. Yes, they are a little pricey but worth it. My favorite stories about them involve two accessories. The first is the ball end cutter. It was originally designed for an ophthalmic surgeon to help them make prosthetic eyes. Yup, it is that precise! The second it their rotary table. I ran into an issue with clearance when using it on the tilt table. The turning screw ran into the head stock on my mill and limited the clearance I had for making a very small part. I went over and asked them if they could make one that had the screw on the other side for additional clearance. You can now get either a "left" or "right" screw turntable https://www.sherline.com/product/3700-op-4-reverse-rotary-table/ Oh and if you are ever in the neighborhood, you must go the the Joe Martin Craftsmanship Museum. Joe was the founder of the Company, but not the first to use "Sherline" but that is another story. He setup this museum and endowed it just prior to his death. It should be a bucket list item for any modeler. https://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/

This is obviously some form of parade vehicle for a head of state. The problem is the only state that I can conceive would build it is a state of confusion!?

Just by way of explanation, I have owned more than a few airbrushes. I started with a Badger 250 external mix brush back in 1974. That is the very cheap plastic one with a bottle on the bottom and a nozzle that screwed into the bottle lid. You adjusted it by screwing the nozzle up or down to move it into the airstream. For the time, I got some decent paint jobs. I then went to the Aztek double action plastic brush(still quite cheap). Spraying lacquer through it worked but the plastic swoll up so I had to keep buying tips. Both of these brushes used canned air, which was very frustrating! When I realized that I was spending as much on air cans as a good airbrush and compressor would cost, I bought a Badger 275 Crescendo. My first metal airbrush. Still rather inexpensive, but it solved the problem with the plastic nozzles. I painted many a contest winner with that brush(including a Best of at Tamiya/con). When I damaged the Badger, I went to a Tamiya HG and an HG Super fine. I also have a Iwata LPH-50 mini touch up gun. None of these gives me a "better" paint job, but all have something that they do better than the others. Do I need all of them? Oh, heck no! If I had to, I could do what I do with the old Badger which I repaired after it was damaged. But having dedicated brushes for specific tasks means I can handle each task much easier. Example: The Iwata has a nice wide pattern for spraying large areas. It is great for 1:12 scale car bodies! It would take forever to spray them with the narrow pattern of the Badger or Tamiya's but I could do it. So pick out whatever you can afford and as you get better, you will come to understand if a better airbrush is called for.

What is the origin of your fascination with BUFF's? I never like the aircraft. Much hated by pilots. When I went to pilot training in the 70's, the pilots that finished last in the class got stuck with the B-52s. Not sure that this is the case anymore, but I suspect so.

Very old saying -- The magic is in the magician, not the wand! The Giza pyramids were built with primitive tools used by skilled craftsmen. The only difference is that a quality tool makes the job more pleasurable. You don't need a top end airbrush to learn how to use it. You will make the same mistakes with a cheap airbrush as you will an expensive one. Just over time you will come to appreciate the quality tool. For hundreds of years craftsman have treasured a quality tool.

As I mentioned, it takes a little shopping to get the best price. No, the exchange is not guaranteed to have the lowest price but it does have one big advantage. Here in SoCal we have almost 8% sales tax which I don't have to pay at the Exchange but do with every other internet seller like Amazon. Since most of my purchases have been high end electronics, I wait for a sale, which they have frequently. On a purchase of $1,000 ( I have had two in the last year) the tax alone saves me $80. That's a lot of beer money. Shipping cost is not a factor because it is $0 for orders over $49 so it is comparable to Amazon Prime. Of course the main kicker for me is that the profits from the exchange help out active duty military members and their families. Amazon just make Jeff Bezos richer. It is just nice to have the option!

Russ, the disability requirement applies to on-base privilege only. To use the internet sales option, all you need is a honorable discharge. Here is the web site from the Exchange. https://www.shopmyexchange.com/veterans The online order program started last year and that is when I joined in the fun. January 1st this year, it changed to give vets with a service related disability the option to go on certain bases and shop the exchange and commissary. When it started last year, it was called "Welcome Home". Since the profits from the exchange go the Moral and Welfare of active duty personnel, if the price is the same as I would pay on Amazon, I buy from the exchange. As I mentioned, at the end of a transaction you have the option to contribute to the Moral fund. I started calculating the sales tax and contributing that. I get a good deal because of my service, so I feel it is my moral obligation to give something back to those on active duty.

Wife just retired as an ER nurse at a big hospital. She never got the flu because being exposed to all kinds of stuff on a daily basis, her immune system was like armor! However that also meant that she would bring all kinds of viruses home on her clothing. I have been getting flu shots since I was a kid and now that I am 70 with other health condition, it is doubly important. Flu could easily be the death of me. To easy to get a flu shot and be safe.

This is for all the veterans who don't know. As of last year you are eligible to shop the exchange online! The prices don't look that great until you factor in no sales tax and free shipping over $50! They have some killer sales items. I got this camera for $800 delivered to my doorstep. That is half off full retail several hundred less than I found any place on line. I've been eyeing it for some time and figured when I saw it for less that $1,000 I would pounce. Then it came up at $800 and I was all over it. Now I can get crazy with photos of my models(and other things). I've been using a 17 year old Minolta digital up to now. The technology has changed a ton since then. This is far more than I need but still something I can use. You have to shop the exchange like any store and watch for sales, but their everyday prices are pretty much in line with the best of the internet and cheaper if you factor in sales tax. Oh, and one other piece of info. As of the first of this year, if you have a disability from the VA you are now eligible to go on base to the exchange and commissary at some installations. All a reward for services rendered. Oh, and the profits from the sales at the exchange go directly to support moral and welfare programs for the current military members. They have an option when you purchase to donate to the programs. I have gotten in the habit of calculating the sales tax and donating that on each sale. Better them that the state!

The other option is shim stock. You can buy it in brass, aluminum or copper and in .001" increments of thickness up to .010" It's not cheap and generally comes in 100" X 6" rolls but that is a lifetime supply and very high quality. I have a roll of each and don't think I have used a foot in 5 years. Nice stuff to work with. Oh and by the way it is also quite useful for truing up a mill and lathe. ?

Ok, so that equates to about $.30 a plate from the scrap dealer. I'd pull a buck out of my pocket and say I'll take three. ?

Yup, upside down and I have a little more considered reason. If you store it right side up, then the dip tube(the little straw inside that the paint goes up) is on the bottom. As the solids settle out of the paint they will surround the tube and clog it. Shaking can clean it up, but by storing it upside down the dip tube is not submerged in the paint and it is less likely to be clogged.

Dave, it just started on January 1 which seems a little coincidental.