peteski

Scalecoat II Loco Black is a very nice satin black. Should be similar to the "Black Chrome Trim". http://www.scalecoatpaint.com/

I also almost exclusively use the old-school "stinky" paints. As for Future, I have only used for dipping plastic "glass" in it, to improve clarity. I have never used it as a top clear coat for a car body.

Kalmbach is the name of the founder who started publishing the Model Railroader magazine (ans the only magazine published by them). Kalmbach then started publishing all sorts of hobby-type magazines and also started buying out other magazines. At some point (in the '90s?) they were probably publishing about a dozen different titles. Plus they also publish special issues, but since the beginning, they main magazine was Model Railroader. For more details of their history, and (partial) list of the magazines they published at some point see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmbach_Media

Here's info on custom decal companies:

That is an excellent idea. I don't have the tube cutter mentioned earlier. I use the knife method for small diameter tubes, and miter box with fine-toothed razor saw for larger diameter tubing. The tubing cutter will not work on very small tubing (I often cut 1/32 or smaller brass tubing). For small stainless steel hypodermic tubing I use a cutoff wheel in a Dremel.

Just like with today's extremely polarized political views, regardless of how many automotive model articles get published in a single issue of FSM, some people will never be happy. I can sort of see their point, but we do have to admit that FSM editors are trying to make the best of the situation Kalmbach left them in.

Those are all very cool looking concept vehicles. Um, except for those weird Mercedes bubble trucks with strange "foreheads" and angry faces. However, I really like the rotating 3-spoke windshield wiper idea.

If you are interested in whether some item sells, you can "watch" the item. I usually watch about 15-20 items. Many items are automatically relisted, so you just watch the same item for a very long time. If the items are listed for limited number of days, then when the auction ends (with no sale) and the item is relisted, that will be shown in your watched list, so you can then watch the relisted item.

That is a pretty car! Heck, I'll even call it "sexy". They don't make them like that anymore. Tasteful amount of chrome trim with integrated door handles, and I love those wheel covers. The shape of the entire car is very pleasing to the eye. Not like some of the contemporary deeply sculptured and convoluted-shape things they call "cars". One thing I never understood was the fender-mounted mirrors. I mostly seen those on that vintage Japanese cars, but it looks like they might have been popular in the British Isles too. There isn't much you can see in a small mirror mounted that far away from your eyes. Kind of like trying to peer through a keyhole standing a foot away from it.

With 6 posts under your belt you probably don't know that there have been this type of threads over the years (one fairly recent) in the General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars) If you search for it, you should find it there.

Whenever I use a new untried combination of coatings, I like to do a "spoon test" on a plastic spoon to see if there might be some undesired interaction. But of course if someone could have definitively answered whether the "revive floor gloss" is basically rebadged Future, that would have made the verification much easier.

That's one cool looking model. Very creative!

I would never dream of getting my fingers painted with my siphon-tube-mounted filter. As you can see in the photo, it is totally paint free. Remember, the airbrush has to be cleaned (by running lacquer thinner through it) after each painting session. That gets everything cleaned (including the mesh filter). So when I do handle the mesh filter, it is paint-free. I also seldom take it off the tube. If I see some fizz accumulated on it, I just take some masking tape and using the adhesive side I pull the fuzz off the mesh. While still useful, to me the paint strainer seems more messy, and it is not designed for the minuscule amounts of paint we use for our models. Plus some (rather pricey) paint gets wasted.

Beautiful! Are the windshield wipers original (plastic) kit pieces? Usually kit's plastic wipers are clunky, too-thick, and look out of place. Those wipers look really fine and in-scale.

Nice model, nice photography!

Whenever I see a new discussion about Future floor finish (no, it is not wax as many call it). I refer them to Swannie. http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html It is a great reference, but the page has not been updated since 2015, so he missed at least one more name change. Why is the company changing the name ever few years (when the original name "Future" remained the same for couple of decades)? Who knows? I suspect it has something to do with the current generation of executives and advertising professionals. Those 20- and 30-somethigns. I suspect it is for the same reason we now have 20 different flavors and thickness of OREO cookies, and several versions of M&Ms. Lots of "limited editions" too (Lady GAGA Oreos anyone?). Their attention spans are so short that nothing can stay the same for too long - we need more varieties, and constant changes. Computers and the Internet are partially to blame, I'm sure. Anyways, thanks for letting me rant - I do find the constant change (just for the sake of change) annoying, and I'm not even *THAT* old. I also want to mention that there is a lengthy thread about this floor finish formerly known as "Future", in the "Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials" section (it is the top sticky there). It has been there for over 12 years.

Most involved part to me? Test fitting the kit before actually painting or building it. I like to do that, so any "surprises" are minimized when I start painting and gluing parts together. I go as far as considering the eventual paint thickness on certain parts when I test fit things. While is is usually not possible to test-fit absolutely 100% of the kit, I do as much as possible. Makes the building experience much more fun. .

Foe another view point, I have built many polystyrene model kits and I have *NEVER* done any abrasive prep to the entire body. Yes, i scrape and sand the flash and mold parting lines, and any spots on the surfaces that are not smooth, but I never do the entire body. I use "stinky" paints and they seem to "grab" the bare plastic surface just fine. But I can't comment about the now-popular water-based paints since I don't use them. I often don't use primer either, if the plastic color is neutral enough (or similar to the paint color), I shoot the final color directly on plastic.

I have been using that type of filter for years. I made it myself. You can see it at the end of the siphon tube. It is made from very fine Nylon (?) screen, and attached with some 30 AWG wire. Years ago, when computers used CRT-based monitor, some of the ones we used at work had a fine screen mesh in front of the picture tube. It was supposed to increase contrast, and also provide privacy (picture was not visible from the sides - only straight on). It was an aftermarket item. When they were replacing those monitors I grabbed couple of those mesh screens. Seemed like perfect stuff to use in my hobbies. While I have not used it on any model, the stuff works great as a filter. Once I'm done painting and shoot lacquer thinner through the airbrush, I can see tiny bit of fuzz stuck to the filter, so I know it worked. But the mesh is so fine that it blocks the metallic particles in some of the metallic paints. So for those paints I have to remove the filter.

Nice! I always liked the black/gold JPS paint scheme! Classy!

Your model looks great Jim. We don't often see European prototype truck models on this forum. Does this kit have full engine, or is it curbside? Also, it seems that the headlights have no lenses?

When I saw the subject line of this thread, I had to peek in. Nicely built model! I have one of those kits (still sealed). I found it at a flea market back in 2009 and paid $7 for it. Before that time I didn't even know this kit existed, but I like oddball kits, and this one sure qualified! The copyright on the box shows 1980, so it is now 41 years old! Imagine that. I have so many projects I'm working on that I probably wont build this one for quite some time. Good to know that it builds up nicely.

It might have been built in USA, but now I know why it looked European to me.

I suspect that those "barn find" models spent some time in a rather hot environment (like an attic, or a shed exposed to sunlight). Heat seems to deform and dry out the material those are made from. My Lambo is packed in the cool basement and I suspect its tires are still fine.

Otaki also had a Lamborghini Countach in 1:12 scale. I've built it, and the Corvette. I don't have either anymore, but I do have unbuilt Countach kit (reboxed as Testors).