peteski

Yes Mike, you are going into the that rabbit hole. But what we are really discussing here is simple hobby photography. Most modelers will likely not do much cropping or using digital zoom (which as you said reduces the resolution of the final image). To me the DOF is still the most important parameter for model photography, so the ability to control the aperture and select aperture property shooting model is vital. But most phone cameras have very small diameter lenses and they produce quite good DOF without even having the ability to control the f-stop. I have not looked into the science of this but it seems to work. Also the photos we are discussing here basically need to be good enough to be posted to forums. Even if sent to magazines, they are likely published in quarter-page (sometimes maybe half-page) size. A 5 x 7 (or roughly half-page) 300dpi photo only needs to have 1500 x 2100 pixels resolution. In camera talk that is around 3Mp. That is very realistically achievable, even after cropping, with pretty much most consumer cameras (including phone cameras). Do we really need to take 48Mp photos and even after cropping still end up with 15Mb images? Also, many magazines are now printed on equipment which uses stochastic printing method (not the typical halftone printing). But this is getting way out of topic for this discussion.

Sounds to me like it is your airbrushing technique. The plastic is the same on the sides as it is on the horizontal surfaces. What you describe seems that you just aren't putting heavy enough of a coat on the horizontal surfaces to get the paint to level out to a smooth surface. Or possibly just the opposite: Maybe the Scale Finishes paint is hot, and you end up using a heavier coat on the horizontal surfaces, causing the plastic to slightly craze. Just couple of guesses. . .

Just up to 5 x 7 prints? Mike, I don't think the resolution of iPhones is an issue. Maybe with the original iPhones, but current iPhones have very high res image sensors. I don't own an iPhone but I think they now have 12 or 24 Megapixel sensor. Even my 20-year old Nikon CoolPix 8700 camera with 8Mp sensor can produce very sharp 8x10 enlargements. Images from newer iPhones could be used for good quality poster-size enlargements. Main thing is getting sufficient DOF (depth of field) so the entire subject is in acceptable focus. This is done by selecting appropriate lens and using numerically highest f-stop aperture. That requires bright lighting and often slow shutter speeds (so a tripod is needed). Photos of contest coverage done using my old Nikon are good enough to have been published in modeling magazines (like Model Cars and SAE Contest Cars Annual) for decades. For examples see http://classicplastic.org/show-2024.html

Yes, telephoto flattens the image while wide angle lens will exaggerate the perspective, making the model look more like a larger vehicle.

Yes, that special ink-absorbing coating on the ink jet decal paper can get melted on the the laser printer's hot fuser roller, messing it up.

Mike, if you read that post again it states "The odor free Easy-Off does not have Lye and will not work for stripping paint." Basically what I mentioned that the low-odor Easy-Off does not contain Lye and will not strip paint like the original stinky Easy-Off.

The paint stripping ingredient in Castrol Super Clean (CSC) and in the original Easy-Off spray is Lye (Sodium Hydroxide). The odor free Easy-Off does nto have Lye and will not work for stripping paint. CSC is really the best thing to use since it comes as a liquid which does not need to be sprayed (spraying is what contaminates the air with the nasty fumes).

Well, it still wouldn't hurt to clear the browser's cache and cookies (and restart the browser, or even a full reboot) on your desktop.

Yes, unlike the opaque paints/inks used in silk-screened decals, inks used in all consumer CYMK color printers (laser and ink jet, or even the Alps Micro dry printer) is translucent, and it relies on the print surface being white for proper color rendition. And yes, since ink jet ink is actually liquid, the printed surface has to be able to absorb the ink. Ink-jet specific decal paper has a special ink-absorbing layer on the surface. Laser printer decal paper does not - it has a smooth glossy surface, so liquid ink will just bead up on it. Laser printers use dry powder toners which are fused to the printed surface using heat (they are basically melted into the paper), so smooth glossy paper works well.

So it isn't the photos but what happens withign the forum's software after you hit the "Submit Reply" button. Weird! I wonder if you replied on that thread without any photos contained in the text, would it actually get posted, or also fail with the same failure? If you are using a browser on a Windows PC, you could try clearing the browser's cache and deleting cookies, but if you use a smart phone/tablet or Apple Mac, I have no idea on how to clear those.

Usually vehicles of that time with a unusual shape of the body had their doors swing open to the outside of the body. Your first idea should work. As I see it, you have to move the hinge point (the tubing) closer to the door opening's edge. The loops might also have to be larger (to increase the swing diameter. You will also likely have to thin the door's inner surface at the hinged edge. The fact that this is a suicide hinging does not matter. Since the sculpted body has the same shape at the front of the door, you would have the same problem with front-hinged door.

To be honest, I would feel weird about building a model where certain parts will be assembled under stress. I would be worried that after some time problems (such as cracks) might develop. When customizing 1:1 vehicles, the body's sheet metal can be shaped (bent, etc.) so any stress is minimized, but with plastic the stress will remain forever. Maybe that's why I don't do any serious body customizing on my models.

Ah, ok, so that's the clamping action. Got it!

I guess I have hard time seeing a "clamp" (at least going by what the word "clamp" means to me). Are those metal staples considered clamps?

To me this is looks like careless spelling mistake. It probably means "test" as in "needs test drive; something wrong". Maybe the person who wrote it did not know how to spell "test"?

Since they posted fine in this thread, they are now uploaded to the forum (in your attachments). Just go to the thread you want to reply in, then start your reply and when you want to add the images, just copy/paste the direct links to the 2 photos here: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_12/20241205_130945.thumb.jpg.f9b1951dd4766ede7a1cb4eed12dd99b.jpg https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2024_12/20241205_130932.thumb.jpg.16532f67674c793dd3e999e5a5fc36ef.jpg As you paste those links, they will automatically expand to photos.

And so was One Foot in the Grave, Are You Being Served, and Vicar of Dibley. Then there is Monty Python, but some people find that one too silly or weird. Fawlty Towers was great too.

Actually just the snow cover or rain on a parked car are not a major problem. It is the salt on the roads in the winter if the car is driven that causes issues. Another big problem is if the uncovered car sits in the open and all the dead falling leaves and pine needles settle into all the low areas on the car and are left on it. When they get wet from rain or snow, they retain the moisture which starts to slowly rot the body. Don't ask me how I know (and now know better).

Whether it is or not is to me less important than the fact that the color-shifting flakes seem way out of scale (too large) for 1:12 or small scale cars. It might be ok for 1:8 scale, but it would still look like the glittery finish used on bass-boats.

The "hotness" of the paint has nothing to to with amount of solvent present in it. It is the chemical composition of the solvent itself. Solvents can be substances like naphtha, alcohols, acetone, and many others. They are usually blended using multiple ingredients, and depending on the blend, some are "hotter" than others.

Model railroad manufacturers also display their models at those toy fairs, and we all know how expensive that hobby is, and how elaborate adult-built model train layouts can get. Also remember the warnings usually present on model packaging about the item not recommended to kids under 14 (or whatever that age is nowadays), and also about difficulty level (again that goes back to the age thing). Do teenagers over 14 play with toys? Do 59 year old people play with toys? I guess they can. I guess it all goes back to definitions of toys and scale models. I guess a scale model can be a toy just as some toys can be a scale models.

Back when they were still around, American SATCO sold a wide range of rubber tires which were used by various Japanese kit manufacturers. They had Pirellis, but none in scale 14" size. Here is a listing of their tires. They show up on eBay from time to time.

I would be careful with that. Naphtha will dissolve Testors enamels and other not-fully-cured enamels. It could affect some lacquers (again, if lacquers are not fully dried). Also if left on any paint surface for longer time, it might affect (dull) them. After all it Naphaha is an organic solvent used as thinner, but a quick light touch wipe should not hurt the lacquer's surface.

Mike, since you mentioned that you have been using the Scotch blue painter's tape problem-free for years, what has changed to cause the problem? Is the blue tape different somehow? Are you using different type of paints/primer? Are you spraying the paint different way than in the past? Are you applying the tape to the painted surface before it is fully dry? That would likely cause the tape adhesive to soften and leave adhesive residue. I like Tamiya masking tape (or Washi tape) but I have used Scotch brand blue tape in the past without problems.

I'm not into hot rods so I was unaware of those wheels in the '36 Ford kit. To me these wheels look like ones used in VW Beetles or early Porsches (which were somewhat related to Beetles). I did not realize that '36 Fords used similar bolt pattern/wheel design.