Pete J.

Not my mustang. It is the lead in to Pauls video but thanks any way. The video is the real star!

I just finished my first piece using the Paul Budzik method describe in this video. Frankly, this old dog learned some new tricks. Yea, I know it is an aircraft, but I have learned a lot from paying attention to other generas of building. For the first try using this method, I am very pleased. Most of the lines are clear and crisp and with a little touchup it should be very nice. I think with just a bit more practice I should be very proficient at this type of masking. The biggest headache was that the BMF I used was old and tore rather easily coming of the backing paper. Clean up was rather easy with some 91% alcohol to get the majority of the adhesive off and 50/50 mix of distilled water and 91% alcohol to do the final cleanup.

It's Christmas! Enjoy the day and let any annoyances pass on by! Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Mark! Looks great!

Nice photo! Not complaining but it is interesting how they put it together and photoshoped it for speed. I've been playing with Photoshop for a little while now and I like to see what some people do to create the illusion of motion and speed.

I just used some TS 13 Tamiya clear to seal the printing on paper label for a CD I am making. It was inkjet paper and I put a fairly heavy couple of coats on. It sealed the paper and made it less vulnerable to water. The ultimate finish was matt but it seemed to work ok. What is it that you are trying to do?

I've done some complex commission builds and I have to agree with Bill. Building models for someone else is not the fun it is doing it for yourself. First off, you are dealing with someone else's expectations, standards and timelines. It is a bit like building a contest model the last day before the contest. It doesn't mean that there wasn't a lot of pleasure in doing it, just that it was different. Would I want to be a full time modeler for profit? Heck no, but occasionally it is not so bad, just don't make me do it every day.

Speaking of Yelp reviews, I hate seeing reviews that just go over the top. "Most worst horrible thing that ever happened to me!" Really folks? Ok, so something went wrong. Keep it proportional. Slamming the heck out of some one or thing just because you can is not help full. Tell us what went wrong and if the manager gave you the meal for free or a coupon for a return trip, well tell us that too! Mistakes happen. Don't act like you would like to shut the place because you dinning partner died from a knife welding chef attack. Keep it reasonable. Oh, buy the way Rob, this was about Yelp reviews in general, not directed at you. You just made me think of it. I have written my fair share of negative comments, I just keep it reasonable.

So for about $5 you want someone to prepare you a meal and get everything visually appealing and you are complaining that they are making too much money. You get what you pay for. Walk a mile in the minimum wage earners shoes before you complain about what they earn. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Good old cold war! I remember the toy manufactures even got into it. Here is Lionels take on it.

These steam locomotives were living, breathing things. If you have never stood near one in operation, you would be in for a treat. They are a little like a camel in that they hiss and spit. They creak and groan like an old man. They belch and fart like your weird uncle and oh do they know how to whistle. I remember cold nights in Nebraska and you could hear these things(Challengers in my case) crossing the plains from 20 miles away. They had a unique sound that one can never forget. I was lucky back in the good old days to stand by the tracks between Cheyenne and Laramie when the Big Boys came through. The ground shook beneath your feet and the size and power of them just took your breath away. I am so happy they are keeping a few of these as working running engines. Good on ya Union Pacific.

The problem is that you are thinking Home Depot 3M masking tape for walls. 3M makes a lot of tapes but you have to go to the right store to get the good stuff. Auto paint stores sell 3M fineline which is what the pro auto painters use for fine masking. You can get it in widths down to 1/8". It is good stuff and designed to work with the type of paints we use. It was designed for wide curves so if you are doing straight lines or small curves it is good stuff. You can't really do tight curves with it. I like Tamiya tape for that because I can lay it down and cut a curve with a sharp knife. The Tamiya tape is thinner than the fine line so it works better for that. I also like the Tamiya wide stuff for area masking and cutting. For the really finicky work I use Bare Metal foil. Here is one of Paul Budziks videos on how to use BMF. It is about aircraft canopies but you can learn a lot from it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHJmxKKxsew

If you haven't heard yet, the Big Boy is coming! On May of this year Union Pacific 4014 was towed into the UPs restoration yard in Cheyenne, Wyoming where it will be restored to running order and operated a part of a living museum . https://www.up.com/aboutup/special_trains/steam/photos_videos/bigboy/2014_may.shtml This is the last of the "Big Boys". The largest steam locomotives in the world. I am truly looking forward to seeing the behemoth on the tracks again!

Five minutes before the entry dead line at the contest!

I know I have said it before, but good lord, what a piece of jewelry! Please just clear coat it and be done with it. It would be a crime to hide all that gorgeous metal work! I hope to see this build some day in person. I promise not to drool!

Monty, To finish up I had to go to summer school one summer. I will never forget I woke up on the 4th of July and there was 1/2" of snow on the mall between sorority and fraternity row! Don't know how many kegs we took up to Vedauwoo. Also great were the close proximity to Medicine Bow and Steamboat springs. Greatest skiing on the planet! Just glad at my age to be in SoCal where we don't shovel the atmosphere!

Wow, I though I was the only one here that knew the real words to "Cowboy Joe". Class of '72, School of Business. I remember taking swimming for PE credits during spring semester and walking across Prexy's Pasture and my hair freezing. That was cold. Welcome! Enjoy the ride.

I have found the best way to find a lost part is to walk around the area in bare feet with the light dimmed. Pretty much guaranteed to find it that way. Or the other best way is to order it from the manufacture. It will show up the day after your order arrives. Also, if you go to the swap meet and find the same kit, I can guarantee that that part will be missing from the swap meet kit when you get home.

Pretty much. This just allows you to control the rate of release of the gas. Turn the screw in to make a hole and then open it in small increments to slowly release the propellant. I got the idea from a saddle valve.

There is a better way to decant paint and that is making holes in the can, but it is not recommended because no matter what I say, there is always someone who won't follow instructions and will hurt themselves. If you happen to have machining capability you can create a safe way to do it. I assume no responsibility for others doing this. Build this jig at your own risk, and no, I will not make one for anyone and no I won't send out plans. It is just my idea but remember you are releasing a flamible liquid and gas. This is no more dangerous than what Bret Greene suggested in the above video. NO IGNITION SOURSES around if you do it!

It sounds like money is the issue. There are a lot of cheaper ways to do things than buying premade pieces. Back in the day, before all the aftermarket stuff, modelers had to rely on their own skill and ability to create stuff like sparkplug boots. We would get two different sizes of wire. One the correct plug wire size and one the that insulation is just large enough to slip over the plug wire. Strip off a piece of the second insulation long enough to make all the boots plus a little. Then use a hobby knife or single edge razor to cut boots. Slid them over the plug wire and just a tiny drop of glue to hold it in place. Oh, and before your put the boot on, strip a small piece of insulation off the plug wire to expose a bit of the wire. That gives you something to glue the plug wire into the head or distributor with. You don't need fancy tools or expensive after market stuff, just a little time and patients. Old school man! Oh and by the way, any electronics store or hobby store that sells beading supplies is a good source for wire. Buying it by the spool is much cheaper than the prepackaged stuff the aftermarket guys sell.

Star trek-Into the darkness

It always surprises me when a thread like this comes up. I know a few of the "popular" modelers and they are in some respects a different breed. I think that those who just see the builds and description assume that it has to be some external force driving them. This, in my experience, just isn't so. The reality is that they don't build to compete with others or generally build to others expectations. It just isn't in them. They do so because they truly enjoy taking their modeling to the next level. They enjoy finding something that they never tried before and succeeding at doing it. They could no more sit down and build to a lesser standard than a pig could fly. It is not in their nature. The other assumption is that doing this is not fun. To them it is. The fun in the hobby for them is in the experience of learning that new technique or getting something just right or mastering a new medium. Like everybody on this board they are having fun, just in their own way. If you don't see what they are doing as fun it doesn't matter, they do, and frankly most are very willing to share that with you if you let them.

Randy, Did you do the brass castings yourself. They really look good!

Hmmm.... Interesting. I guess I just don't see the detail as it is being described. I know this is probably one of the few versions of the new Ford GT and there is a lot to be said for that. Looks like a lot of work to make an outstanding model, though it would probably build up to a good shelf model. Just not my cup of tea though.