peteski

Sounds like you have an interesting job Jim. I agree that knowing the entire process (not just the design part) is vital for getting the best results. Same goes for modeling. I don't just use paints and glues - I educate myself about their chemistry. Not to the most minute details - just the overall understanding what they contain and how they work. Makes me a better modeler.

LOL, no kidding! The algorithm depends on identifying positions of facial features, and mask hides few of them. I don't think even Apple is that good (unless they have a camera that sees through opaque materials. But if they did have such a camera, it could be used for more than just facial recognition through a mask. It would be very, very popular, especially with guys!

Ah Jim, so that means you actually know what you are talking about - very refreshing and educational.

I also made those reverse clothespin clamps (using regular and miniature clothespins). I have learned of this technique years ago in some modeling magazine (I think it was FineScale Modeler) - the magazine most members here love to hate.

If they are willing to custom blend inks for one-off job, that would be a game changer. I suspect then that have to flush the ink from the ink path and the nozzle between print jobs. I was thinking more of the ink jets that UV-Curable CYMK inks with white clear ink as an option. Those types of printers are used by companies such as Micro-Trains to print directly on the models. Those excel at factory-applied weathering and graffiti, but they are often used to print other decorations on the car sides.

Oh, I see what you mean - give someone a week to freely edit all of their posts, regardless how old those posts are. That would be an excellent idea. I guess we won't know unless we ask.

Dead? Well, tell that to about 4000 Alps users on the Alps group in groups.io (of which I'm one of the owner/moderators). It is dead as far as no more printers are being produced, but still quite alive as far as the user-base and supplies go. It is a consumer-grade printer, but it was (and still is) used by small commercial decal manufacturers (Kadee is one of them). They simply refused to do your decal, but they still custom print decals. Alps MicroDry printers really are best suited for hobbyists though. I love mine, and the fact that I can custom-print even the smallest one-off decal right in my workshop. As far as the printer mentioned by the person in Germany, that is a fairly new and current technology. That type of printing technology is used by many model manufacturers to print decoration directly on the model. But decals an also be made. But one problem can be that the inks used go on in rather thick and stiff layers, so they cannot be made to conform to uneven model surface, even using decal setting solutions. Also, since they are CYMK printers (not spot color), there will be a dot pattern visible, although much finer than the "fishnet" you saw on those Alps-printed decals. Tichy Train Group uses that type of printer for their decals and model signs. They used to offer custom decal service - not sure if they still do. But those decals were thick and difficult to use. And if you haven't noticed a trend yet: decal manufacturers want vector-based artwork.

While it is not a full week, you can edit your post for some time period. At least a day - might be two. But I agree that a longer time period would be welcome (my fingers sometimes don't "think" the same way my brain does, and it takes me some time to realize that).

First post? Welcome to the forum Dude! While the paint (and glue) adhere better to bare plastic, there is no absolute need to remove the "chrome" before painting. "Chrome" is actually a layer of clear enamel or lacquer over bare plastic, which is then metalized with a very thin (few atoms thick) layer of aluminum, then usually another clear coat is applied to protect the thin layer of metal. If you use water-based paints then I would prime the metalized areas first. If you are using "stinky" enamels or lacquers, then you might not even need to prime. But the shiny surface might show through the paint, so priming makes sense with either paints.

What you are experiencing is what steered me to preassemble and test fit as many things as I can, prior to painting. I use white glue and masking tape to hold things together. I also often pin parts together (but glue the pin to only one of the parts, so they are removable. Pinning parts also assures perfect alignment after painting. Yes it all takes extra time, but it saves a lot of aggravation (and wasted time) fixing things that don't fit rigth, or are installed in the wrong order.

Why worry about overdone "teeth" in a wheel cover? It is only a model (toy) after all. At least that's what many said about the recent Revell Jaguar with a windshield that is too short. At least wheel covers can be easily redone by the modeler (even using 3D printing) while reworking the body and windshield of that Jaguar would require major surgery. I'm not pointing fingers at any specific people - just find it amusing that some major inaccuracies in a model are ignored by certain group of modelers, but is it ok to point out smaller flaws which are easier to fix without being told to get over it because it is just a hobby..

This could be info about the drill stand/case itself. Often these are purchased separately from the bts by the company that sells the complete sets, then they add the drill bits snd resells the complete drill set in a case.

Well David, I'm not into race cars either, but this is not about the type of a model being built - its' about the craftsmanship. I'm not into a lot of stuff, but that doesn't mean I am not going to look at them or appreciate the work that goes into them. Mark is doing a lot of scratchbuilding, and his attention to literally the last bolt and nut is absolutely amazing. But since you are not interested in race cars, just forget about it. Whatever . . .

Now who will be the first to model that? As mentioned, a 1:24 scale aircraft is available (but it likely will be rather pricey, and most model car builders are pretty tight when it comes to spending money). This would even make a decent rat-rod!

There is a range of modelers (from mediocre to brilliant) in any hobby. If you want to see some absolutely incredible level of modeling here, see Scale-Master's thread. If you have the patience, read through the entire thread. He achieves some amazing feats of modeling, and the level of detail is unbelievable!

Here is a good thread for you to read (compete with drill sources). Just the other day I pointed someone to it.

Well, yes and no. If you posted the photo as an attachment to a post, you have some time (couple of days?) to go back to that post, edit and delete that photo. But if you wait too long and the post cannot be edited, then the photo cannot be deleted. If you uploaded the photo to the gallery, then you cannot delete it. But in either case, if you contact one of the moderators, they can delete your photo.

OMG Tom! That is a 1st world problem! It is just so very difficult to swipe the unlock code, instead of the fingerprint verification, isn't it!? Terrible! Try unlocking the iPhone which uses face recognition while wearing a mask!! More 1st world problems!

How many models have I built? I do this as a fun hobby, so I don't keep track. If we go back to my childhood, maybe hundred or couple of hundred? I was quite prolific as a teen (mostly WWII aircraft and airliners back then). In my adult years maybe 40-50? Not sure. As for the airbrush and vector drawing programs, I don't thing you have to be advanced modeler to own or use them. They are simply tools for the trask at hand. Just like a chisel or chainsaw. You can use those tools in their basic application, or for advanced jobs. For example the same chisel can be used to cut openings for a striker plate on a door jamb, and to sculpt a beautiful wood carving. Chainsaw can be used to cut down trees, or the same chainsaw can be used to create beautiful wood sculptures. It is not the tool, but how you use it. Same with airbrush or vector-based graphic program. For questions about airbrushes and compressors see the very top sticky thread in this section of the forum. There are others too. That subject is well covered becuase it is often asked about. From reading your responses in this thread it seems like modeling is just a temporary whim with you. You come here looking for help, then you keep on griping how difficult and awkward things are (specifically decal design and printing). It seems that you want to instantly become an expert modeler (at least as far as decals go). Dude, things are not that easy, and you either accept that, get good at it, achieve results you desire, or like I said earlier, go back to your hobby of game simulators. BTW, most decals I print are for my fellow model club members (not for my models). Every decal design I create makes me better at it. Here is one of my models with decals decals I designed for it (the gold pinstripes).

Growing up in Poland in the '70s, I remember seeing these cars (usually painted black). I thought the see-through speedometer was so cool (without realizing that the concept was probably "borrowed" from the American Thunderbird).

Don't feel bad - my workbench often gets out of control. I work on too many projects at a time, leaving me about 1 foot square of working surface. But I'm Peteski, not Tom. Dont' accuse him of having a messy workbench!

My caliper almost never leaves the top of my workbench! If I can find it there that is. Actually, it is there, visible!

"Yes" to all your questions David. Corel Draw (or other similar programs like Adobe Illustrate or Inkscape) can do all you mentioned (and much more). And much easier than repainting things pixel at a time. But you will need to do some learning. Thankfully in today's digital world, there are plenty of video tutorials on hwo to perform all the "magic: in those programs. Only thing is needed is time and some patience. I often use a photo or a scan of some logo to trace it into clean vector format. Each color can be made into a separate vector object and can easily be manipulated (like changing its color). Corel Draw also offers automatic tracing of bitmaps into vector objects, but the original bitmap needs to be hi-resolution and clear. I still find that I can do better job tracing bitmaps manually than what the program can do. And vector-based drawings can easily be resized without any pixelation. This is sort of like the modeler who uses spray cans to paint their models but refuses to use an airbrush, because he thinks it is too much of a pain to clean after painting. If he broke down and decided to get an airbrush, he would realize that the cleanup is not all that tedious, and the airbrush allows for much better control and better paint jobs. If you want to get better and quicker results (and have easier time dealing with decal manufacturers) it is time to graduate from MS Paint and pick up a vector drawing program. Inkscape is free to use. Personally, I use Corel Draw, because I started with version 2 or 3 back in the early '90s, so I'm used to it. I currently use version 10 and 12 (current onbe is version x8 or 18). I have no need for the latest - mine do all I need (and a lot more) already. Here are some examples of my decal designs in Corel Draw. This is my virtual "sketchpad" This is where I do my tracing. The photos (bitmaps) are placed in the Bitmaps layer and locked. "Bitmaps" is just a name I assigned to that layer - it is just like any other layer in Corel. I then do the vector tracing over them on Layer 1. The black/white images of the car body are actual scans of the model. I place a copy of the tracings over those scans and size them to fit on the model. As you can see there are rulers around the drawings, so all the sizes are in real inches - no guessing needed. Once I have all the objects sized properly in the sketchpad file, I create the actual decal artwork. The above image is not what I'll be printing on my alps printer - it is just a rendering of what the printed objects will look like when printed out. Notice the instruction above the drawing - that is what I use for printing. Also notice all the different layers defined on the rigth. Each of those layers is a separate print run for Alps. Alps has the ability to retain the paper inside, so each printing pass will be perfectly aligned with the previous passes. All but the CYMK layer are printed as spot colors. I also use special Alps printing tricks, sch as relabeling cartridges. Alps is a very capable printer, but there are many tricks that aren't covered in its manuals. There is a large Alps users community where we share our printing techniques. This is what the actual artwork for white ink (to be sent to the printer) looks like. All that is black will be printed with white ink, and all the white "paper" areas will be left blank. Here you see that the white ink will be applied under the license plate and Howard's Cams logo color images which will be printed in subsequent print passes. As you can see, this process is not the simplest, but the results are excellent. And since I work in actual-size artwork, the size that shows up on the screen is the same size that gets printed.

Looks good so far. For the future my recommendation would be to pick up a $20 digital caliper (Harbor Freight) to take the guesswork out of what size drill to select and the diameter of the wire. It really makes model building easier. I couldn't function without one.

True. I drill these by hand. I use the PCB drill bits which have 1/8" shanks, so they are easy to hold in my fingers (or in a pin-vise). That #80 bits are very fragile, but I usually manage not to break them.