peteski

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.

Another one popped up in my automatic search. This one was in Switzerland, shrink-wrapped and sold very fast for $400 (and $41 shipping cost to USA)! https://www.ebay.com/itm/294280718299 Impressive what people will pay for this kit.

Well, I guess it is in USA only then. I wonder if those sedans are still made in USA, but only sold abroad? https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/12/18/discontinued-cars-trucks-ford-chevrolet-fiat-buick-cadillac-toyota/4298551002/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/12/04/buick-regal-discontinued-gm-general-motors/2607182001/ https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/08/the-buick-regal-has-been-discontinued/

If for whatever reason IPA doesn't work, there are several other plastic safe strippers (there is an entire sticky thread about them). http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/83153-paint-strippers-what-to-use/ I also use Floquil/Testors Easy Lift Off (ELO), Scalecoat Wash Away Paint Remover, "Purple Power" or Easy-Off oven cleaner, and LA Awesome concentrated cleaner (last 3 are Lye-based. Keep those away from your skin).

Yes Pete, I also have a small arsenal of liquid cements. I use Weld-ON 4SC and also 3. 4SC actually mentions Polystyrene, while 4 does not. Both of these are based on Methylene Chloride (similar to the old Tenax cement), and they evaporate *VERY* fast. Sometimes it is too fast. That's where MEK-based cements come into play. When a longer open time is needed, I use MEK-based cements like Testors. They are both useful, in different ways.

LOL! I heard or read somewhere that Buick no longer manufactures passenger cars (coupes and sedans) . It is all SUVs and such. So any Buick model will have to depict cars of the past years. The other problem with Trumpeter car kits was that they used real chromium (or similar metal) on the "chromed" parts. It was a real pain to deal with. Unfortunately I have noticed other companies (probably in China) doing the same thing. I don't get it. Vacuum metalizing (the old tried and proven way to "chrome" plastic) seems like much simpler, cleaner (and probably less expensive) process.

What brand/type of paint did you use? Most 1-part lacquers can be removed with 91% IPA. Also, warming up the stripper will increase its potency. 80-90 deg. F that is. You being in Indiana, that is probably not a problem (hot summer). Also, 99% IPA is sold in hardware stores as a solvent in gallon cans (in the paint thinners section). It is usually called IPA99 or Isopropanol 99. If they don't have it, they should be able to order it for you. I get it at the local Ace Hardware. Not sure if large home improvement centers carry it.

Sorry, I have no idea why I wrote that. My brain must have been on "neutral". I corrected my earlier post (since that was what I really meant to write).

David, this might again be related to the latest forum upgrade (that changed something with how the forum handles the embedded codes for externally hosted photos (that many and many users already complained about). Any way you could find out why the handling of photo codes changed in that update, and if the original method could be re-enabled? I just looked through some of kpnuts posts and I think I see what he means. Yes, he uses external photo host. He seems to also have used the [img] tags around the URL, and the forum does not render those properly anymore. Here is one of those posts where photos are now displayed as links. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/161008-tamiya-112-porsche-910/?tab=comments#comment-2408274 If I copy the image url (without the tags of course) the photo is displayed properly. There really has to been some change to the way the forum software operates. I also find it hard to believe that the previous functionality (where the [img] tags were interpreted correctly) cannot be restored. Those tags are a standard syntax on many online forums (and most photo hosting sites provide that type of coding for posting their photos in forums).