peteski

I guess it makes sense. Oh well. I ordered 2 bottles of the "model" stuff when I could have ordered a 4-pack of the furniture stuff (and still getting the 20% discount). I'm hoping that the discount still works next time I'll place an order (but that'll likely not be for some time, so I doubt it). Hey Zack, do you happen to have any urethane resin items you could try stripping?

Ok, I'll bite. This stuff does look promising. The website seems to have been designed with primary focus on stripping paint from furniture, with model stripper also being offered. Having said that, I wonder of the (wood) furniture stripping solution is the same stuff as the plastic model stripper? The wording on the labels of both types of strippers is identical, except for the mention of models on the model version. I'm wondering because the furniture stripper (as a 4-pack) is a better deal (and the discount code works on it too). Anyway, I'm always looking for new and better plastic (and resin), so I'll order the model version. I do wonder how safe it is on resin bodies? I think I'll let someone else find that out.

One possibility is that those panhandlers collect more (or even much more) "donations" than they can make having a basic low-wage job. When they leave for the day they probably drive off in a Mercedes parked few blocks away. The only sure way to stop panhandling would be for people to stop giving money to them, but too many people out there just can't help themselves to feel better by helping some poor lost soul. The ubiquitous "God bless" scribbled on the bottom of the brown cardboard sign also helps them to collect from all all the soft-hearted individuals. Just like with all the scam calls we are flooded with, panhandling is a scam. There are plenty of ways in this country for a truly homeless down-on-their-luck individual to get help.

That is a one sweet build!

Sorry to hear of his untimely passing. My condolences to his family. R.I.P. Josh.

If hovering over other email addresses still works, then it is likely something in the way the email header is formatted. That is where the email reader gets the info you see hovering over the email address. I'm sure they doing this to prevent people like you from screening spams. Some email readers allow you to view the email in "raw format", but unless you know what you are looking for, the raw email looks like gibberish, so my recommendation is to just hit "delete".

Alclad II Polished Brass airbrushed over a coat of glossy paint (gray or maybe even dark yellow) should also look close to real brass.

According to the post earlier in this thread (March 12), this floor coating has been discontinued. Discontinued products show up on amazon and eBay, but usually at ridiculously high prices.

The way I look at applying multiple layers of paint is that the solvent in the paint being applied softens (or melts) the surface of the previous (dry) layer, so no "extra tooth" is really needed. To me sanding just to get some "tooth" is not needed. But if the dry paint has some schmutz in it, sanding will be beneficial to sand the flaws out.

I've entered 1:160 (model train's N scale) models in small scale categories in contests (and placed in the top 3). I actually had tiny "NO SNEEZING" signs posted by the model (as a joke). This is one of the models (Photoetched brass kit by Micron Art).

Looking at the subject line of this thread made me cringe. "Smothered in honey" is exactly the kind of glossy paint job you *DON'T* want. Thick, "honey dipped" paint jobs look very unnatural. Well, it looks like the model was actually dipped in honey. the body details/features get smoothed out, the door lines disappear. Key to a good realistic looking paint is to get it glossy, while keeping the paint thickness to the minimum.

That would also be my high recommendation. Yes, it is 1:32 scale and curbside, but it is very cleanly molded, has good proportions, and low parts count. Chrome is nice, has rubber tires (and metal axles). Due to the smaller scale, it could even be considered as cute. It was a pleasure to build it (back in the '90s). it was my first model on which I used BMF.

I thought about this some more. I think part of the problem is that some people are just less fastidious than other, and that is reflected in the quality of their work. I see examples of that here. It is in their nature. and if they decide to produce and sell product, it will not be top quality. There are (or were) casters out there like Don H., Norm V.,Paul Hettick and others. But there are also many other casters whose products are not as good as the ones I mentioned. They are probably ding their best, but they are just not as fastidious as others. I suspect that they think that they are producing the best quality of product they are capable of (and they are probably correct). They just don't have in them, to take their work to the next level.

To me "classic rock" is before the '80s, but I might be getting old and living in the past.

Please let us know how well the paint sticks to the soft vinyl tires. Many military models (to which this set is likely geared to) have tires made of hard resin (same resin used for other parts of the kit).

If that resin kit is the only game in town, and people will still buy the parts with pinholes, there is really no good incentive for the caster to improve casting quality.

Looks good. You did a great job paining the wheels

Few weeks ago I had to take a photo of this incredible sunset (taken at Manchester, NH airport)

The post I linked to in my previous post is evaluating that chrome foil. It is also rather thick.

Sorry to hear of your loss Joe. Pets are family members, just like humans. My cat passed away at 20 years. It was very sad. She was paralyzed (probably from a stroke) I was also present til her last moments and it was just like losing a close relative. I still get choked up thinking about it (and it was quite a few years ago). Just remember all the good times you all had with Fmeep.

I would recommend regular JB Weld epoxy. The slow-setting stuff. Or whatever epoxy Ace recommended would likely work even better. The key to a strong bond is absolute cleanliness of the joint (both styrene and metal) and light scuffing of the surfaces. I would scuff the metal (brass, aluminum, or other) and styrene with some 180 grit sandpaper, then clean/degrease the metal using acetone or lacquer thinner. For plastic I would use a milder solvent like Naphtha, or even 91% (or stronger) Isopropyl alcohol. After doing all that you should have a strong bond.

Interesting. It is labeled as specifically for photoetched parts. Is it possible that it is just repackaged canopy glue?

Few years ago I ordered couple of Scale Finishes paints (Enamel). When I did the spoon test they dried, but remained soft. After couple of months I contacted Scale Finishes about the problem and I was given a bottle of hardener. So it does need a hardener to fully harden. I found surprising that this was not mentioned anywhere on the website. At that point both projects were mothballed, so I never actually tested the hardener. It eventually hardened in the bottle. This is what I have:

True, we have been involved with Alps MicroDry printers, and decal design and printing for many years.