peteski

What model kit was this? I noticed that some of the 1:43 scale resin kits from NEO use thin stickers that are on a decal paper carrier. You wet the paper to remove the decal image, but when it is applied to a model it sticks right away (like a sticker would).

As I seem to repeat in every BMF related thread, BMF Chrome (or Improved Chrome) are *NOT* aluminum foil. It is some sort of soft metal alloy, which is very stretchy. That is why it conforms to complex surfaces so well. It is not just the thickness that makes the difference between BMF and aluminum foil. The very thin adhesive also makes difference. HVAC duct tape uses much thicker layer of adhesive. If you burnish that foil the soft addhesive will cause the foil not to look smooth.

Try Windex (or just plain ammonia). Maybe using a Q-tip. That often seems to soften water-based acrylic paints. That should not affect the "stinky" paint underneath.

I doubt it - upon a sale the seller pays all sorts of fees. It would not make sense to do what you suggest, because they would be losing money. And auctions run hot and cold all the time - you really need at least 2 very committed bidders to bid the item up to high amounts. The last listing I linked to appears to have been "buy it now" listing as there were no bids on it - just a sale.

The plastic runners (as you call them "sprue") is excellent raw material for making all sorts of things. You could chuck a piece of the plastic runner in a Dremel, and (on slow speed) using a file, shape it to resemble a breather. If the diameter is too large, just file it down until it looks right. You are sort of using the Dremel and file like a poor-man's lathe. I've made quite a few round-shaped parts that way.

I mentioned that when I plan on removing all the "chrome"and varnish from parts, I do that before gluing them together. If I understand you correctly, you took the "chromed" parts, removed the plating from the gluing areas, them glued them together.Next, you try to remove the all the remaining "chrome" and varnish. It is possible that the combination of glue and "chrome" removing chemicals made the parts brittle.

Tools designed for graphic design shows you the exact dimensions of any graphics and allow you to resize them accurately. I use a "real" Windows PC and Corel Draw suite of programs. I have used Corel for decal artwork and other tasks fo over 2 decades. I also know that Inkscape and GIMP are freeware applications similar in capabilities to Corel. I have no experience with iPad, but If you search the app store for GIMP, there are couple of downloads available. Try it out. GIMP is a powerful graphic (bitmap) editor, so it will take you some time to get used to it. It could be overwhelming at first, but once you get familiar with it, you should have no problems creating decal artwork in the exact size you want. I'm sure that there are also lots of online tutorials on how to use GIMP (from basic to advanced). Many of those are probably on YouTube.

That is an interesting theory. I have experienced thin Polystyrene strips getting brittle and crack into small segments as I tried to glue them using Testors liquid cement (the thin stuff, mostly made of Methyl Ethyl Ketone, or MEK). But the same strip does not break up when using Methylene Chloride based liquid cement. The strips are not old (freshly purchased Evergreen brand strips). Maybe the chemical used in Heller glue did make the wheels brittle. That to me would make more sense than Chlorine or Sodium Hydroxide making the Polystyrene brittle. I didn't realize that you strip "chrome" *AFTER* gluing parts together. I *ALWAYS* strip parts before gluing. That way I don't need to scrape the "chrome" from the glued surfaces.

Thanks for the info Jouko. I forgot that you live in Finland and I'm in USA. But your description and pictures seem to show that those products contain either Chlorine (bleach) or natriumhydroksidia (Sodium Hydroxide) for clogged drains and oven cleaning. I agree that those are considered safe to use on Polystyrene. You don't keep any of the empty "parts trees" or "parts frames"? You throw them away, and put the parts in those boxes?

I've been thinking about this since you posted this in another thread. I wonder if your 91% stuff is really 91%? Is it the standard rubbing alcohol you get from a pharmacy or supermarket shelf? I wonder if because of all the shenanigans related to COVID-19 the alcohol was intentionally diluted, and it is more like 50% or 70% and packaged in 91% bottle? As I mentioned in the other thread, try getting the IPA 99% stuff from a hardware store.

The "goo" is likely the paint's binder -- the stuff that dries as a film holding the pigment (color) together. So even if the paint is usable, it might not be as good as new. First check for pressure. You can tell by squeezing the can and see if the metal gives in easily. If there is no (or little) pressure in the can, shake it really well (to mix whatever is still in the can), then make hole in the can. I would lay the can flat and make a small hole at the top of the side wall, close to the bottom end. That way if there is any residual pressure, it will be released without squirting the paint. Next, while the can is still lying on its side, open up that hole. You can use the old fashion juice can opener for that to make a large triangular hole. Then drain and save the remaining paint. Of course do this at your won risk, preferably outdoors.

Thanks. After reading that the new 2-piece tires are made from soft rubbery material (not the hard slipper plastic like in the old days) I suspected that they would be usable. While not optimal (we are "spoiled" by 1-piece tires in most new kits), they do look quite usable (and the lettering looks good too).

The vacuum metalizing (using aluminum) has been used to represent "chrome" on plastic models for many decades. That "chrome" is not very durable, but it is not really required for models that don't get handles a lot, or otherwise abused (usually just displayed). The vacuum metalizing process is simple, thus fairly inexpensive. Also, since the metal layer is extremely thin, it is easily removed on the gluing surfaces, or stripped chemically if needed. But some companies (Trumpeter is one of them, and now it sounds like Salvinos too), seem to use electroplating process which results in a layer of real Chromium (or similar metal) deposited on the plastic surfaces. The metal layer is relatively thick, and very hard (much harder than the plastic substrate). It is also very difficult to scrape off, and pretty much impossible to strip. This type of process is used on 1:1 car parts where they will be exposed to handling (like door handles) and weather. It is really an overkill for model cars. The electroplating process is also more complex, and uses some dangerous and toxic chemicals. I really don't know why some model companies decided to use it on model car parts. It might be a "real Chrome" but that IMO is not really what is optimal for our miniature models.

Thanks Bill, that is excellent work (and without any fancy vacuforming)!

That restoration looks great! What did you use to re-chrome the bumpers? Also, how did you make the headlight covers? The other question is: are those the original scripts and badges, or you found replacements?

Sorry to hear about the problem. It is annoying to get a good start on a build (of an older kit) to have something drastically go wrong. I'm curious as to what you used to strip the metal coat and the clear lacquer. Am also curious how brittle are the runners on the chrome parts tree (without them being exposed to the stripping solution)? Since those are not needed, can you test how easily they break/crack?

That might be difficult to get jut now. But Molotow, Spaz Stick, Alclad II Chrome, or similar finish might do it justice.

I would live to see them take one of the Flat Earthers up into orbit to show them that the Earth is a sphere (not a flat disk). I would love to see what excuse they would come up with that what they see with their own eyes is just an illusion. Kind of reminds me of another group of people (but that is a taboo subject here).

Maya wants the model in 1:43 scale. Tamiya doesn't make them in that scale. But 1:43 scale market is quite strong - lots of models and kits are out there. I'm not into this type of models, but someone out there will probably know who makes either assembled morel or a kit of that Porsche.

No worries Dave -- thanks for all you do to keep things rolling around here. The updates also seem to hold some unforeseen surprises, plus the constant battle with those ads . . . We all appreciate all your efforts here. Next time some problem pops up here, and I think I know what the problem is, maybe I'll just PM you directly.

That thing is cute! As far as 3D printing goes, I suspect that the masters were 3D printed, but judging by the pour stubs, those parts are standard urethane resin castings (form the molds made from the 3D masters). 3D printing is time-consuming, and casting resin parts is much faster and cheaper. A lot of small companies make molds of 3D masters, then resin-cast the kits.

I'm pretty sure they are all based on Methylene Chloride. Probably the ratio of secondary ingredients is different between all those variants. To be honest, I originally had the "3". I picked up the 4SC because that was what a dealer had available at one of the model shows couple of years ago.

I mentioned the tag issue way back in early May in http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/161900-pictures-not-showing-up/?tab=comments#comment-2408010 (you participated in that thread), and in few other posts mentioning problems posting photos. I basically pinpointed the problem. I'm glad you stepped in and took care of the problem. In any case, I still prefer to upload my photos directly to this forum.

The specific post I pointed you to doesn't seem to have any quotes around the tags. Where did you see those? from what I can see the tags by themselves mess the way the forum renders externally hosted photos. I didn't realize that tags are being deprecated - other forums (using different software) still use them. So what is the plan when those tags are deprecated, while there are many years' worth of posts where those tags were used? Will all those now have all the photos show up as links? Is there a way to run some script to remove those tags from older posts?

But not as quick as Methylene Chloride. That is why I like to have both types of cements available.