peteski

I have no problems uploading photos and including them in posts. But I use a Windows PC, and my photos are almost always less than 1200 pixels across (never over 2000 pixels wide) and not in portrait format.

I have seen this problem many times on Chinese diecast models with soft vinyl tires. The reason is what Are mentioned. They probably use cheap ingredients for their vinyl. Some of mine are so bad that the clear liquid plasticizer actually puddles around the are where the tire is touching the plastic base. Too bad more companies do not use real rubber for their model tires like Japanese model kit manufacturers do. Tamiya, Aoshima, Hasegawa, Arii, Fujimi, etc. all use real rubber. No liquid leaches out of those. The only negative is that it can harden after decades of being exposed to air. Just like real rubber tires. I suspect that it is much cheaper to make vinyl than rubber tires.

What is a "medium grade lacquer thinner". I don't ever recall seeing that in a hardware store. Usually the container just states the name of the company making it and then "lacquer thinner". Now if you go to a body shop supply store, they have reducers (thinners) which can be hot, medium, or cool (made for spray-painting 1:1 vehicles at different ambient temperatures).

Good info, thanks Doug. I'm not ready to jump into 3D printing yet, but the more info I have, the better decisions I'll be able to make if and when I'm ready.

Body molded in black? I wonder if they are trying to cater to the modelers who do not wish to paint their Porsche (or paint it black)? Perfect task for 3D printing.

Yes, thanks. But I also think that any of the local walk-up 3D printing services will likely not have any high end printers, but probably the ever popular low-res filament printers. Besides my model RR buddies can print parts for me. I rather pay them few bucks than go to Shapeways.

I also love trees but these were huge pines (over 120' tall) and very close to my house. The New England winter weather is getting weirder and weirder every year. We are getting more and more of that "wintery-mix" precipitation where we get pasty snow first, then some rain to soak into the snow, then cap it it off with some freezing rain. The snow is more like wet cement than nice fluffy snow. It sticks to the pines (since they keep their foliage) and since pines are very fragile, branches start snapping. Last winter couple or very large branches came down and damaged my fence and shed. Since some branches were directly over my house, I lucked out that one didn't come down on the roof. And of course this ever-worsening climate also produces more and more super-storms with fast winds, and pines have very shallow root system. Those 2 just had to go. Like I said, I like trees, they produce oxygen, provide shade and acts as sound barriers. I'll miss the shade my pines provided, but I was not taking any more chances. I still have several oaks in my yard, and I own a mini forest across the street with pines, oaks and maples. As for my lawn, it is 100% natural. I do not water or fertilize it - whatever grows, grows. I only mow it to keep it somewhat neat and rake the leaves in the Fall. I know exactly what you mean about those perfect lawns. House in the middle of the lawn, and no trees anywhere. I couldn't live like that - it is too bare - I would feel too exposed.

That was what Shapeways was offering. But I still rather have all the pieces of the puzzle at home. That way I can experiment without leaving home. Going by the results I'm seeing in that Railwire thread I mentioned earlier, the results are pretty spectacular, and you don't have to leave your house. And if course this technology is progressing very fast - who knows what will be available in a year or two . . .

I see. It must be in the eyes of the beholder because as soon as I laid my eyes on the photos of those wire wheels I thought to myself "those spokes look too thick". Not trying to troll - just giving my opinion. I wonder is 0.007" wire would be a good compromise? As far as the spark plug wires go, there are more than one diameter in the 1:1 world. There are standard factory wires and extra chunky high performance aftermarket wires. If' I'm building a pedestrian factory stock car I use the thinner wires, and for hot-rods I use the thicker stuff.

I bought a food dehydrator in the late '80s (when they started to get popular). Probably paid less than $20. I cut out some trays inside to get enough vertical clearance to use it for car bodies. It is really bare-bones unit. It has a 40W heating element on the bottom and it stays always on. There are adjustable shutters on the top and bottom which can somewhat control the internal temperature. For years I was just using it without any temperature readings, but I eventually got a cooking thermometer and stuck it in the lid. The temperature stays between 115-120 F and in the 30+ years I have used, I have never melted, damaged or warped any plastic or resin parts I put in it. The Micro Mark thingie seems like a way overkill, but you have the money, go for it.

Really? Whatever oak leaves are left on my lawn in the Fall are still there in the Spring. Except at that time they are all nasty, wet and clumped together (being packed down by the snow). If I don't pick them up, they block the sunlight to the grass underneath them and that kills the grass. And lets not even talk about pine needles! I just had 2 huge pine trees cut down - at least the pine needles won't be much problem anymore.

That thread has multiple pages - you really need to go few pages further to see some pretty incredible printouts (coming from a low end machine). The first guy who started that thread had no problems with the machine. I'm still amazed that even with a cheap machine like that (and I would not mind tinkering with it to keep in going) you can get some pretty good quality parts. Design something during the day, feed the data to the printer and it "prints" your part overnight. Hard to beat that (especially with Shapeways pricing structure getting really crazy). In the early days of 3D printers, they used to be called "Santa Claus machines" - a name that I think was very fitting. One of the machine owners in that thread sent me a sampling of failed printouts and I'm very impressed with what I see (the correctly printed areas). Sure, for thousands of dollars you can get a "real" 3D printer, but most hobbyists cannot afford that.

Yes, try https://ppdltd.com/ . Yes, they are in Scotland, but that should not dissuade you from considering them. I know many model railroaders in USA who use their services and are very satisfied with them. One of theses days (when I get to those projects) I'll be using them myself. As an alternative, you could try asking some of our local cottage manufacturers (like Model Car Garage, or Detail Master) where they get their photoetch parts done.

That scales out to 1/4" diameter in 1:1 scale. A bit thick for spokes in motorcycle wheels. I don't' know the exact diameter, but I suspect they will be closer to 1/8" diameter. So 0.005" wire would be more realistic. I just figured that if one goes through the trouble of making wire wheels (instead of using wheels with plastic spokes, or photo-etched spokes), might as well go all the way and make them in-scale.

I belong to a model railroad forum. Due to all the Shapeways shenanigans several members decided to buy their own DLP printed (Anycubic Photon) and print on their own. That printer is actually perfect for printing small parts.The results are pretty amazing. If you are interested, scan through that thread: https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45736.0

Nice! I didn't even know this kit existed (but I really don't need another project).

Get some tires for those wheels.

Super glue (CA glue) also hardens (sets) by a chemical reaction, not by solvent evaporation.

Sure, your methods will yield acceptable results. Your parts are molded use materials which set (harden) by a chemical reaction, not by solvent evaporation.

Like Bill said, the solvent which makes styrene liquid has to evaporate in order for the styrene to solidify again. Regardless of how small the part being cast is, there will be shrinkage, pinholes, etc. Not really work the effort (unless mediocre-quality parts are what you are after).

Yes, some (or maybe all) of Trumpeter automotive kits use different type of chrome. "Chrome" in most kits is not actually chromium, but simple a very thin layer of aluminum vacuum-deposited over a clear glossy lacquer. Sometimes there is a top coat of glossy clear over the metalization. But in either case, clear coatings and few-atoms-thick aluminum are easily stripped with any strong Lye-based solution. Trumpeter electroplates their kit parts using a much thicker layer of some metal (not sure if it is chromium) but it is some shiny silver metal. You can see the difference in thickness when you try to scrape the "chrome" off. It will not come off unless you really dig into the metal. That is why it's very difficult (if not impossible) to chemically strip the Trumpeter "chrome" using household chemicals..

And how exactly does this A$$clown know that the Holthouses didn't offer the business for sale? And how does he know that the molds were lost? Did he hear that directly from them? That is such bull! I agree that this letter should have never been published (at least not without verifying his claims).

Yes, the smoother (glossier) and darker the undercoat is, the more chrome-like will the Alcad and MLQ look like. Since like I said, the MLQ seems to contain a thicker clear lacquer, it is not as dependent as Alclad on the glossy undercoat.But both Alclad and MLQ rely on the metallic flakes lining up on the surface of the paint to achieve that mirror-like finish.

Thanks Samuel.

Thanks, but I'm curious what the lighting unit looks like. Is it like a cube with strips of LEDs mounted on top (and of course the backdrop in the back and on the bottom)?