peteski

LOL, that's a good one. But seeing all sorts of craziness on eBay, I woudl not be too surprised!

Guitar string is good for representing stiff pipes or lines, but it is too stiff to represent cable. Cables need to show sag or have to be wound around pulleys or spooled. The appearance of a string is also wrong for stranded cables.

Yes, well, silver paint usually looks like bare unpolished aluminum. And the kit's "chrome" is a very thin layer of aluminum over plastic. I'm not one who thinks that the "chromed" kit parts that are highly shiny chrome parts on the 1:1 car should be made less shiny on the model. I like them to be mirror-like bright. However in your example I think the grille is made from pressed aluminum, but you dulled it too much. I think a mixture of 50/50 or even 40/60 Dull- and Gloss-cote would have given you the slightly more reflective finish you strive for. Straight Dull-cote will result is very flat (dull) finish.

I agree that is is weird to have such different experiences with the same paint, although who knows - maybe the formula was changed and we had different patches of paint. Ir maybe the type of base-coat makes a difference. I guess there a lot of factors and unknowns when it comes to paint's behavior. Mine (as usual) did not need any polishing. I don't usually sand/rub-out/wax my models. It is my little 298 Cobra.

Wow! Seems that there is some intelligence implemented in those dumb and annoying voice response systems. What I find really stupid about those is that after they collect the info from you, and are in the process of retrieving the answer, they make noises like a human is typing on a keyboard. That is just so utterly silly. Sure, all this time I thought I was talking to a live human, and I feel even better hearing them typing. Not!

I used to get photo books about cars I wanted to model. Sometimes I would actually borrow them from my town's library. More than once the library would borrow the book for me from another library. That was before Internet. Now a quick Google (or Duck Duck Go) search brings up hundreds of online photos and other references. No need for books anymore. At least for me. Unless you want a book for more than just reference photos.

I have this kit (bought years ago). Still unbuilt. This thread is giving me inspiration and some good reference info. It's looking good Atin!

Interesting. I have used the Wet Look Clear on a model (painted with Tamiya primer and Nail Polish, and the clear stayed soft for a very long time (months). If I pressed my fingernail in it, it would show a mark. That was couple of years ago, I should check if it is still soft, or if it finally hardened.

Yes, "don't take this medication if you are allergic to it, or any of its ingredients"! Duh! How would you know that if you have not yet taken that medication? It is silly and stupid, but the lawyers make them put those disclaimers in. We live in a litigious society. Or the ones which "might cause severe reaction including death"! ? Really? Do I really want to even consider asking my doctor for this medication? Or the ones that might cause "severe infections of my perineum"? Look that up. Why specifically in that area?! No thanks! And why are drug companies push their wares to general public? This stuff is something only doctors should see. I know, this way the drug companies are hoping to make more money by having patients ask for their meds (as seen on TV). What a crazy world we live in (and it is not going to get any better).

That is very sad.

Upon reviewing the photos again I do agree that the problem is not pebbly paint but fine wrinkles (crazing) in the plastic caused by the "hot" solvent in the paint. Unfortunately those wrinkles will remain even if the paint is stripped. Not sure what would be a good way to fix this. Probably a lot of elbow grease.

They are just trying to appeal to ordinary average people (not to just attractive super-models). There is usually a man for every woman, and vice-versa.

I'm surprised that Greg is gone. He seemed fairly young. Probably had some medical problem. Excellent modeler, and a really nice guy. I met him few times when he was taking photos during our club contests.

I was referring to MP and his technique, which seemingly resulted in gritty finish.

John, you might also want to read through the following thread where some pros and cons of Future (or whatever new name they changed it to) as a clear coat are discussed.

I have to disagree. Maybe as a modeler my opinion of what is a decent model is a bit skewed. To me that $18 model is not a nice replica. It is a very poor replica of the car. Nice replicas are those Franklin or Danbury Mint models which cost a lot more money. Or any of the plethora of 1:43, 1:24, 1:18 diecast or resin models available for purchase. Those look much better, and are more accurate than the $18 diecast you showed. I guess we just see things differently.

I guess my airbrushing technique is unconventional. I like to lay down wet (thus shiny) coats. I don't do the light dusting spraying. I also never sand or rub out my paint jobs. But I guess I'm more willing to take risk of paint runs than other modelers. You say that you sprayed it on too thick. Probably too thick, and too dry. If I was painting, I would open up the nozzle to have more paint flow out and go on wet. I have been using my Badger 200 airbrush with medium nozzle and siphon feed for over 30 years, and I'm used to the way it works.

Good to know - thanks Greg! Hopefully the trend will continue.

Are you serious, or joking Tom? Those spoke wheels and tires look like something you find on a child's toy. I would not pay $2 for them. The entire "model" looks like a $18 kid's toy. I think you must be joking - you are one of the NNL East organizers - you have a good idea of what a flawless model looks like.

That is a really weird moulding flaw!

With all that metal (body. seats), your model's weight will probably be to scale with the 1:1 vehicle! compared to plastic kits, that model must be really heavy!

There are many hobby-size laser cutters on eBay. Even Micro-Mark sells them. It woudl be a nice addition to my hobby tool arsenal.

This is only the 2nd FSM issue after the demise of SA mag. Give them a chance to expand on the automotive coverage. I have been FSM subscriber for over 30 years, and I don't have any expectations that it will even be like SA mag. It is not, and will never be like SA. but it is nice to see them cover a wider range of subjects (like automotive, Sci-Fi, figures, and civilian aircraft/ships.

If you were spraying the paint too heavily, it woudl result in a wet ,shiny (and possibly runny) surface. Never gritty. Was the grittiness apparent as you were spraying, or when the paint was wet it was glossy, then the grittiness showed up as the paint dried?

Thanks guys! I built that wrecker close to 30 years ago. One of these days I'll scan more of the photos I took back then (with a film camera), and post it in Under Glass section. I agree that by using flat finish with different sheen levels, (dead flat, flat, satin, semigloss) will produce different dulling effect on "chromed" parts. I mostly use Testors Dull- and Gloss-cote, and I make custom mixtures of both to produce different levels of sheen.