peteski

WARNING: If 5-minute epoxy is used, it will turn amber after few years. I have had this happen with multiple brands of epoxy. I will never again try to use it as a clear lens.

Your weathering and aging techniques are amazing! Place the model in a realistic looking background and it can easily pass for the 1:1 vehicle. The dried leaves are nice touch too.

This is going to be fun - I love unusual/eclectic builds of factory-stock cars which were never kitted.

Mark mentioned that he "grew" the clear resin valve cover. He uses the word "grow" to describe what others call "3D printing". I believe that he "printed" (not cast) these covers. Probably using a UV-curable clear resin in a SLA printer. Or is it a "grower"?

I'm very impressed. Yes, the quality of the engineering of Tamiya kits sets the standard for all others to strive for. The only thing in that kit that I would like to have seen done differently is the electric defroster lines in the backlight. They seem way too heavy. I have seen similar lines done much more delicately on other kits (so they are barely visible, just as they are on 1:1 cars). Or leave them off altogether.

I think most primers are more like lacquers than enamels. They dry fast (and are ready to be sanded), where enamels take a while to set and fully harden.

Really? Isn't that what backup/restore of the forum would be for? As you can tell, I'm not a fan of this limit. Plus in the thread I linked to the reason for the limit is to prevent hacking. Unless you consider deleting post "hacking"?

Add they still forgot Diwali. ?

Here is the full scoop on this. This "feature" was enabled in February, and we can thank hackers for it.

So the board was updated (maybe even more than once) Since July, but the fonts option never returned. But we now have zillion of (mostly useless) emojis! Oh boy! The forum members in general don't seem to be a prolific users of a wide range of emojis. I use maybe 2 or 3. But now I have hundreds to scroll through. I'm only semi-serious above. It just seems that some useful functionality gets replaced by something not all that useful.

The bricks look very realistic (at least in the photos). Couldn't tell that the were just a flat printout.

Yes, we did display our train layout at the Museum of natural History in Lexington. But for some reason (don't remember) we aren't doing that anymore. We still do about 10 shows per year (Fall through Spring). No pressure about joining a club or participating in a meeting. To me this forum is like a club too, but I guess we stay anonymous behind the keyboard.

Yes, great photos. There several very similar beautiful leaping-lady ornaments in those photros. As for the material, I bet that a good portion of these were cast from brass or bronze. I suspect that cheap pot metal wasn't all that popular in those early days.

How about just SUPERDAN'S SPEED SHOP And I know that this is your first diorama, but to nitpick a little, the openings in the walls (windows, doors) should have steel angles (I don't know what those are called) to support the row of cinder blocks above the opening. And there would not be partial blocks like the door above. Like I said, I'm nitpicking, but if realism counts, that makes a difference. Still, your efforts so far look pretty darn good. Did you end up using paper sheet for bricks?

I didn't mean to rain on your microfiber cloth parade. Sorry. It obviously is a good hint, but others started mentioning their file cleaning methods, so I chimed in. I don't own any diamond files, just regular metal files and some emery boards. The acetone method would only be used if there was some really stubborn plastic lodged in the grooves. I can't remember last time I had to do that. I usually use a hobby knife to pry the stuck plastic out of the grooves. As for WD40, it is not the dreaded silicone - it is just standard petroleum-based lubricant. Actually it is composed of mostly solvent, which evaporates, leaving very thin film of lubricant. Again, I mentioned using it after the file got degreased because I live in humid climate (in the Summer), and bare clean steel will rust easily.

Thanks Ray!

Yes, file card is specifically designed to clean standard size (large) files. That is what I use for my standard (large) files. But its steel bristles are too thick to clean needle file grooves. Or have you found a file card brush made for smaller (needle) files? For needle files I use cheap steel or brass brushes (which look like large toothbrushes). They have much finer bristles which get into the fine grooves in needle files. If some plastic is really stuck in the grooves, you can dnk the file in acetone. It will dissolve the plastic. Then don't forget to spray some WD40 over the file, because acetone degreases the file too (leaving it prone to rusting). Then soak up the excess WD40 with a paper towel.

Tenax 7X fast-evaporating styrene cement was basically Methylene Chloride. Some Plexiglas and Lucite cements are also Methylene Chloride. Yes, it is a strong and fast-evaporating solvent which melts many types of plastics. But it is hard to find nowadays (and it is also nasty chemical hazardous to human health). Where did you find Methylene Chloride for sale?

I don't think the 1:25 vs. 1:25 scale will make much difference in this case. It can be either large or small human skull (just like in real life).

I have a MCG photoetched grille (for a '34 Ford?) and it includes a resin skull. Then there was a series of show rods which included skeletons. I'm having a senior moment remembering the name. I'm sure someone will chime in. I think one was a half-track show rod. Then someone offered bunch of 1:25 skeletons for sale. Again, I don't recall the details.

Hi Jonelle, I also hang around in the Eastern Mass., and I belong to Norteast NTRAK, and Classic Plastic Model club. I attend several model train shows in the area (last one was Greenberg show in Wilmington few weeks back), and all the Classic Plastic model exhibitions/contests in early October. I'm the club's photographer. I also attended the MassCar shows when they were still a club. Have not gone to any of the RTS shows. I suspect that our paths have crossed at some time, without realizing that we are bot active on this forum. You wouldn't happen to know Stu Marcus? He lives in the area, and is also a big fan of full-size Ford sedans. If you are burned out, one possible way to get you excited again would be to participate in one of our Classic Plastic Club meetings, and see in-person what bunch of highly motivated modelers are up to. No string attached. We meet in Lowell, usually on the first Saturday of the month (But it will be 2nd Saturday on January). You could also bring some of your older models for our show-n-tell. Check out our website (see my signature) and the FB page. Maybe you'll get inspired.

That questionable ad is for Erectile Dysfunction remedy. Most of us here (at least age wise) fit their target audience. Unfortunately. :-(

Oh man, I miss my "box", "Fridge", "Toaster", "Pregnant rollerskate", or few other names given to my 2006 Scion xB. The original "box". The 2nd generation of xB was not as cute or handy, but still pretty good. Mine had 140k miles on it and showed signs of rusting (New England winters eat cars), so I traded it last February for a 2019 Kia Soul. While the Soul has lots more of bells-and-whistles than my spartan xB, it is not as roomy inside or even not as easy to get in and out of. Even thought it is a slightly larger vehicle, it is not as capacious as my old xB. Even the rear hatch is narrower. If the 1st gen. xB was still being made, I would have bought another one in in instant!

Looks good Steve. I suspect that "painting" this duct's surface with some 5-minute epoxy would create a nice fillet at the base of the wrapped wire. Or maybe use some of the thick CREOS Mr. Surfacer liquid primer/filler the same way.

Nothing (including paint) will stick to Teflon tape. After all it is . . . Teflon. Remember? The non-stick stuff. even it the paint stays on it, it will rub off the high spots during even light handling.