peteski

Yeah, thanks Ray. That looks like a kitchen aluminum foil. It even has the sort of "brushed" finish that kitchen foil has, where the surface of BMF was was smoother. As for the marks left after burnishing, I suspect that is due to the adhesive layer being thicker than BMF, so it acts as a rubbery substrate under the foil. It will squish under the pressure of a toothpick, resulting in visible marks. Ed Mason, the inventor of BMF had a perfect solution that has not been duplicated by anybody else. Too bad that "the good stuff" seems to be discontinued.

Thanks for following up. The repair came out really well.

Like snake said, lacquer thinner might or might not work. It is a blend of several solvents. Different brands use different blends. Some do have some MEK in them, but not all. Some more recent lacquer thinners are probably rather "mild" (due to all the environmental concerns and restrictions). MEK by itself works ok as liquid cement for styrene, but the blends sold specifically as plastic cement work better than plain MEK. Tamiya liquid cements use acetone and other chemicals. For best results I would just use the ready-mixed cements from hobby manufacturers, but if you want to "go cheap" then MEK will likely work better than lacquer thinner. I find it amusing that generally speaking the automotive modelers have very tight pockets.

Well, if you first told him that you were big fan of him, and only after that you mentioned being a fan of his dad, I think that would have been ok.

In the past I was able to order parts (for any manufacturer they carried) through Hobby Link Japan (HLJ) . But that was several years ago, so I don't know of they still provide that service. I suppose you need to have n account set up on HLJ website.

I think Bob Black is a member here, but I don't remember his user name.

According to Steve's (VRM) member info, he visited the site on June 14, so he is still around.

Yeah, - same here. They were both beauties.

Turds. Yes, it is a safe word here.

Cool! Looks like one of those little tractors that pull the "train" of baggage carts on the tarmac.

Possibly -- I haven't seen any of those movies.

Some people eat roadkill (with or without flies on it). But seriously, there are so many germs, viruses and fungi all around us everywhere that a little fly shouldn't spoil your appetite. It is more psychological than anything else. Just like hair in the food - some people find it totally disgusting, others don't care.

This thread is fun to follow! Actually I enjoy following all of Jouko's builds. Motorcycles, cars . . . fun stuff! I liked this model so much that I bought one of the sedans from Ukraine, because I read somewhere that those has "chromed" parts. Well, it doesn't. Looks like I'm on my own making them look chromed.

Looks like a Fiat to me. Similar to the Multipla.

Thanks for finding out what the modeler in YouTube video used for chrome trim. I think that stuff was discussed on this forum. I'll have to see if I can give it a try. I can only hope that my model will come out as nice as yours. I don't think it will be anywhere near the one in that video, but it would be so very cool to open the rear doors.

Very, very, very nice model!

That looks like a cool project. I have no suggestions, but I have a question: Why are you using such a seemingly coarse sandpaper? Seems like that it will take some serious sanding later to get rid of those gouges.

Cool, but why post it in the WIP section for models? That looks like a 1:1 vehicle, and it looks complete.

I agree that Matchbox are more of a scaled down miniatures of 1:1 vehicles, where Hot Wheels are more whimsical. Still, I like both brands. When I was growing up on Poland, all we had access to was Matchbox models from England (and those were highly prized toys because even they were hard to get).

"Discontinued" seems a bit strong. For the last few decades, all the plastic models kits are "limited run" type of production. Manufacturer produces a run of models, and then mothballs the molds for some indeterminate amount of time. The modeler's motto is "if you want some kit buy right when it is released, as later that kit will disappear from the hobby store shelves, and fetch outrageous prices on auction sites". Only back in the "good ol' days" kits festered on hobby store shelves for years. That hasn't been true for quite some time.

Doesn't Replicas and Miniatures Company of Maryland sell resin cast door handles?

You use baking soda to simulate carpeting?!?!? That's a new one on me. I stay away from baking soda (for anything related to modeling) because it is water-soluble, and humidity can liquefy any exposed grains creating a mess.

If you are not joking, that makes no sense. If they only broke even (no profits), there would not be any funds to develop one tooling and produce new models. But companies still produce new models. No company makes anything for "fun".

I suspect that Bill is looking for the look of smooth polished aluminum, not a cast-aluminum flat finish. He is probably looking for a semigloss finish. Flat aluminum paint is good for simulating brushed aluminum finish.

Welcome to the forum Hans! I agree with you. Too many exotic, sports and competition models - give us some pedestrian "everyday family drivers". I'm in USA and I would love to see some of those pedestrian American cars from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, but I also wouldn't mind models of similar European cars. I believe that the reason that type of model is not being produced because model manufacturers don't think such models would sell well enough to even break even on the tooling. One ray of hope is the continuous advancement of 3D printing technology, and growing number of 3D model designer hobbyists. With that technology it is possible that some individuals (not a model company) will design and offer such models for sale. Kind of like what the resin casters (small cottage industry) have been doing for decades. Lets hope that my hopes come true.