peteski

Oops, should have been more specific. AMT Daisy's Jeep CJ No. 31535. I guess I answered my own question. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/amt-ertl-31535-daisys-jeep-cj--196661 Looks like AMT/Ertl did pick up the MPC tooling (and one release was under Airfix name). So those tires must be the same as MPC's.

On a related note, the latest issue of FineScale Magazine has an article about building the AMT Jeep. That one had those Desert Dog tires too. Was the AMT version just a reissue of the MPC Jeep? Are the Desert Dogs in that kit the larger ones?

I wanted to use these tires on Revell GM Scottsdale pickup (Billy Carter, Ice Patrol, etc.). They come with really c-r-a-p-p-y Good Year Wrangler tires. The rims are smooth (no bead) and the OD of the rim at the front edge is 0.683". I warmed one of the Desert Dog tires in warm water and was able to stretch it over the rim. But that makes the sidewall baloon out, and the tire looks funny. I might try to harden the vinyl (put it in the freezer) then mount it in my lathe and cut the ID of the tire larger. Or I might try using the 2-piece styrene tires from the Rescue Blazer. Those woudl have to have the ID enlarged too, but styrene is easier to machine. But those tires have poorly done tread.

I had faith in you Matt! Those wires look good! What a strange arrangement . . .

OD at the bead? I measured it at the edge of the tread. A also measured the tread width. It is 0.400".

Hmmm . . . using the info you provided I posted a request in the Wanted section, found a person willing to trade with me and I received those smaller Desert Dog tires. Unfortunately they are way too small for my model. They have inner diameter of 0.620" - not 0.666". Bummer!

Are you sure that the print-side of the decal paper is not covered with a thin protective plastic film? I have seen that done on certain brands (although I use the laser paper for my Alps printer). See if maybe yours has the protective film. If you can't lift it with your finger, stick a piece of tape on one of the corners and see if it will lift the protective film. The ink beading up seems to indicate that there might be some protective film. The other possibility it that you might have the laser (not ink jet) paper. If laser paper was used in ink jet printer, I woudl expect the ink to bead up like that. Ink jet paper has a special liquid-ink-absorbing layer which prevents the ink from beading (that is why ink jet paper cannot be used in a laser printer - it is likely to melt and ruin the fuser). I never had any problems with the BMF Expert Choice paper (even old one), but I use the laster paper. Never tried their ink jet paper. Maybe it is time to get a new batch of Expert Choice?

That is likely due to the metal pin in the nozzle not fully returning to its upper "off" position. When that happens, pull up on the trigger button on top to lift it off the metal pin, then using some pointy grabber (like needle-nose pliers or tweezers, slightly pull up on the metal pin. That should stop the slowly leaking paint and bubbles.

It blew a seal! Seriously, the seal between the can's body and the bottom much have leaked.

While the eBay prices for the "Can-Do" and "Will-Do" models have been ridiculously high, here is a bargain for you: https://www.ebay.com/itm/184617860850 Now you have an empty "Can-Do" kit box and instructions for a paltry sum of $60! That seller is one of those that buy kits and part them out.

Nice Jag. Beautiful! I have that model kit (Monogram version) in plastic, and another one with die-cast body. At least I think that is the same model kit. Just need to build one of them. . . .

The engine looks really good Matt! As for the distributor, if I can drill out a 1:43 scale distributor, you should be able to handle the one in your 1:24 Rolls-Royce.

That wheel half with metal spokes looks excellent!

Warm day anytime soon? Dude, it is middle January as in "middle of Winter"! Actually this Winter seems to be a bit milder than average, at least in New England.

Yes, Micro-Mark is a mail-order (back in the day) and online purveyor of speciality tools for modelers. AFAIK, they do not manufacture anything in-house, but they do have some tools custom made for them. But many of their tools are made by other companies and simply re-badged as Micro-Mark. For example they sell Proxxon tools as their own (or maybe copies of Proxxon tool). Many items they sell can be found elsewhere, usually less expensive. But if you don't feel like searching for bargains, Micro-Mark is your one-stop source for all sorts of modeling tools and supplies.

Funny, that is about the same I paid for mine (including shipping)! Mine also is the standard (not Lorinser) version. There were several others listed, but the prices were much higher (from $90 to much higher). Like I said, I lucked out.

While I wasn't specifically looking for these wheels, I ran into a set of "Resin 1/24 American Torq Thrust D Mag Wheels - Staggered Offset Street Set" The price was reasonable and they looked good in the photos, so I ordered a set. They arrived today and I'm really happy with them. They are flawless! Crisp castings, no pinholes, no bubbles, no flash. I would say that they are as good as parts from Replicas and Miniatures of MD (and that says a lot)! I woudl not hesitate to recommend Forward Resin to anybody looking for resin parts. They mainly sell wheels (in multiple sales), but they have some other items in 1:24/25 scale. Their eBay name is forward_resin, and they have been on eBay since 1998.

Thanks for the pointer! I just scored one of these kits on eBay. The seller accepted my best offer (quite reasonable too). Open-box, but the parts are all sealed. Another good looking kit to add to my "to be built in the future" collection. Funny thing is that back when it was new, it probably sold for about 2000 yen (or around $20 US). It has an engine, so it was one of the better kits. Curbside Tamiya kits probably sold for around $15 US.

While it is a metal model kit, I don't know if I woudl call it die-cast. As I understand the die-casting process, it is done using steel molds (very similar to the molds used for injection molding plastic kits), and injecting a liquid metal (zinc-alloy) under high pressure. Again, similar to injection molded plastic. This metal kit is made by a small cottage industry type of company. They likely use vulcanized rubber molds, and low-temperature soft-metal alloy (likely pewter). I is probably done using spin-casting technique.

Yes, USPS is all messed up. As far as state names go, that's what ZIP cdes are for, I think the ZIP code takes priority over the state abbreviation. or if they don't match during the OCR process then a human gets involved. As far as the path of the package goes, this strange routing has been mentioned here, and on other forums many times in the past. Sometimes packages seem to travel in circles for a while. Or go to way out of expected route.

Thanks for the info about the tires and the seat piping.

Charles, the diorama looks excellent. One suggestion though: the tires (the ones on the van, and the loose ones) have tread that is too clean. You have the sidewalls of the tires weathered, but the treads look clean (as if the tires were new, or driven on paved roads). Junk yards are muddy places, and the treads woudl be filled with dried up mud. Actually, to take this one step further, maybe sand the tread on some of the tires down, so they look almost bald.

Sweet! Great looking model! Can't go wrong with a Tamiya Mercedes!

This one looks correct. I'm pretty sure I know what it is, but too lazy to try finding out the specific details.

Are the gold line and lettering on the rear tire dry transfers? They look clean and sharp. How did you paint the color stripes on the seat?