peteski

Thanks Dave - I was looking for escape from all the gloom and doom out there. I even asked: But looks like that will not be needed for this subject.

I don't, but some here clear coat over the BMF. It is actual metal foil, so clear coat will not affect its reflectivity, like it does with Chrome-like paints (Alclad, Molotow).

While H0 is the most popular scale (it has been all along), N scale is 2nd most popular, with all the other scales behind it. So of course, the widest range of models available will be in H0. But the N-scalers today have a huge variety of models available too. These are the best of times for N scale. Besides the plastic kits, there are oodles of laser-cut and 3D printed structures and if you were to peruse the Railwire forum, some modelers even design and 3D-print their own locomotive shells and some parts of the mechanisms (and kitbash their own locomotives not offered for sale by the model manufacturers). A good historical look at the N scale is at http://www.davidksmith.com/modeling/index.htm (in the Modeling Resources section), but the rest of the website is also very informative. And for hundreds of N scale locomotive and rolling stock reviews see http://spookshow.net/. Here are some manufacturers of good quality laser-cut structures: http://www.laserkit.com/laserkit.htm and https://blairline.com/ , and I highly recommend checking out https://www.showcaseminiatures.net/n_scale/ for some really cool model kits. There are also dozens of other N scale maunufacturers out there. The Walthers catalog lists most of them.

So the actual visible rim diameter would be 17.5".

Looks like that replica uses the same green paint on the motor and chassis, where the photo I posted shows red engine parts and black chassis. I was actually surprised with how many modern photos of this vehicle are out there, and how many variations exist.

Thanks for that. Sounds like you find your job fulfilling. But cursive writing might not be dead yet. https://fox6now.com/2019/04/12/cursive-writing-is-making-a-comeback-in-classrooms-in-several-states/ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/news/a43159/cursive-writing-is-making-a-comeback/ https://www.businessinsider.com/cursive-making-comeback-american-schools-2017-3-2?op=1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/once-all-but-left-for-dead-is-cursive-handwriting-making-a-comeback/2016/07/26/24e59d34-4489-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/12/us/cursive-is-coming-back-trnd/index.html So, there is hope. I grew up in Poland and we also had cursive writing lessons is school (slightly different than the style used here), but I never embraced it, and my handwriting is terrible.

Was that nice handwriting beaten into you by nuns in a Catholic school, or you are just naturally neat?

Looks good! And you are correct - those are all nice little kits. Similar quality kits are also available from Atlas (another N scale manufacturer). N Scale mode RR is my other hobby. I spend lots of time on https://www.therailwire.net/

I wonder if you used the tire's bead diameter for the rim size? Rims are about 1.5" larger than the bead size. So a 15" tire will have rim that has a visible diameter of 16.5". That makes a visible difference.

That looks great Ken. BTW, it was me who posted a photo of the 1:1 car. I also questioned the annealing of those spokes. As far as the nubs on the end of the spokes go, I use a technique of cutting photographed parts out that minimizes cleanup. I place the photoetched fret on a piece of aluminum. Then, wearing an Optivisor (to have real closeup of what I'm doing) I use single-edge razor blade to cut the part out, making the cut as close to the part as possible. It has to be single-edge razor - hobby knife blade is too thick. I use the end of the blade and I press down on where I want to cut while also slightly rocking the blade sideways. That way you end up with a very clean cut, often with no stub to clean up. Do not try this on any softer backing material. Aluminum is perfect. It does not deflect while cutting the part, yet it is soft enough not to dull the blade. This was domestic shipping (both me and the vendor are in USA). Problem is now resolved (well I won't know for sure until I receive the correct kit). They even found an explanation. Both kits were by ICM and must have been packed at the same time. They accidentally shipped my kit to someone who ordered the biplane, and I received their biplane instead. They expect to get a similar kind of call from the other person (their package was just delivered today). The are shipping me the correct kit, and a postage-paid return label so I can ship the wrong kit back to them. While I would rather not have to deal with mistakes like this, look like they do provide good customer service.

Wheel and tire dimensions should be readily available to make sure they are correct on the model. The 3D drawing is amazing! Do you have an idea how many hours you put into this project so far?

Who wrote "Autographed on . . ."? It is a very nice example of cursive writing.

Modelers who found Tamiya, have discovered the Holly Grail of model kits. I know, their models are of limited appeal to many American modelers (especially older ones who pine for American vintage or muscle cars), but if you want a precisely molded model, with perfectly-fitting parts, Tamiya is it.

The temperature of the stripping solution also makes a big difference in its potency. Cold stipping solution is less effective than warm one. 80-90 deg. F solution will work much better than one at 50-60 deg. F. And yes, there are so many kinds of paint formulas that there is no single best answer. That is why there is a very long sticky thread about paint strippers here in this section of the forum.

Thanks.

I sure hope so. I ordered the correct kit, and the invoice/packing list also show the correct part number and description. Just the model is wrong. I'll call them tomorrow, and since this is 100% their fault, they better pay shipping the wrong model back to them.

Lots of streaming video is pay-per-view. And just like with plastic modeling hobby with mostly older folks who like the '60s muscle cars over modern cars, there are still plenty of older people who prefer the full movie experience. But we are getting older, and older, and older . . .

The Ford Taurus??

I'm convinced that many of those smart-phone movie watchers don't care. They prefer the convenience of watching (on a tiny screen) any place or time over the large screen, and full sound experience. Probably the same people who will just as happily will eat a hamburger instead of a juicy steak.

To get self driving cars to be as good driving as average human (no funny comments from the peanut gallery ), they will have to use some fuzzy logic, and quantum computing.

Looks like I was one of the unlucky ones. I ordered this kit from Megahobby and the package arrived. Inside is a model or a biplane! ICM 32040 Gloster Gladiator Mk.I And it is not even packaged in the Mercedes box - it is boxed in its correct box with a biplane artwork. Someone there is sending out wrong kits. They are probably just stored in a wrong warehouse location. I guess they can't tell a difference between an automobile and an aircraft.

Many clear coats yellow with age too. It is especially visible over white. So you could be doomed either way. Looking at the photos I think that the clear was applied over the decals. There seems to be a fillet of clear lacquer at the edge of the decal's clear film.

For soft floppy rubber flaps I would take some electrical tape, remove its adhesive (Naphtha should take it off), and use the leftover black vinyl. It is very thin and flexible, yet it still has some stiffness to it.

That should be interesting custom build. Looking at the 1:1 photos at the top, does anybody know what is installed inside the rear wheel? Weird wheel cover?

Thanks guys! That was a quite a project. Back when I built it, I took some photos (this was before digital cameras, so I took 35mm film photos) and I wrote an article about it. Sent it to FineScale Modeler Magazine and they accepted and purchased the article, but they never published it. As for the clearance poles (flagstaffs), I replaced the kit's plastic parts with stainless steel hypodermic tubing. I then ground out hole on the side of the tubing at the bumper level. Then I threaded plastic fiber optic through the tubing until it came out on the top. That end of the fiber optic is also sharpened like a cone to diffuse the light. On the other side I placed the fiber optic end inside the foglight, so the same light bulb illuminates the foglight and the fiber optic.