peteski

Sorry Dave, must have been someone else.

Didn't you in the past defend the USPS that this seemingly random movements are part of their efficient routing logistics? Or am I confusing you with someone else?

I stuff hollow rubber tires with foam backer rod from a hardware store. It comes in various diameters. Less messy than urethane foam, but still stiff enough for the tires to retain their shape. But I use it on regular width tires. I imagine with wide tires you would likely have to use 2 rods inserted side by side.

The silver area does not have raised chrome strips and satin metal in between. It is a flat panel with alternating shiny and satin stripes. But on many models the shiny stripes are actually raised.

Yup, like this 1909 Baker Electric.

We're all going to (English language) hell in a handbasket! I notice all this, even though English is my second language. Latest irk of mine is the word "ideate". Who the hack came up with that one?! Then there is "ask" used instead of "question" or "request".

Very good. BTW, clear styrene is not the optimal material for model windows. PET or PETG (like Vivak) are a better choice.

When I use mild solvent-based paints (Testors, Tamiya), I avoid using primers as much as possible. To me the fewer coats of out-of-scale-thickness paints, the more realistic the model looks. But many modelers use hotter paints, and with those primer is required, or they will attack bare plastic. Water based paints also require primer as most do not adhere well to bare plastic

Thanks for the info Martin. The photos just looked so darn good, I had to ask. Yes wide depth of field will make a model photos more realistic, plus whatever enhancements you use, make it even better. With (D)SLR cameras and wider angle lenses which can stop down to high f-stop (like 22 or higher), you can achieve pretty wide depth of field without resorting to focus stacking. Very nice!

In your initial post you asked for mirror - something that shows undercarriage. This has neither, and it is more like a mini-diorama, but depending on the people running the contest might be allowed just as a display stand for a model. That would be something you would have to ask about before entering the contest.

Yes,they will work well, but the size of the vacuum frame is fairly small. They can be purchased in 110V AC version. They are available from Micro-Mark (for rather steep price), dental supplies vendor, amazon or eBay. I believe that Rio Grande tools (jeweler's supplier) also carries them. You will also likely have to cut your own plastic sheets because material that comes with it is not really useful for windshields.

Home made? You will need some glass (or acrylic) cut and polish the edges, then a piece of mirror. Connect them with a framework similar to what Scale Motorsports uses. You can use Plastruct styrene shapes for that. In the end I'm not sure if that will actually save you any money compared to buying the the Scale Motorsports bases.

Here are 3 different versions: https://scalemotorsport.com/collections/showtime-display-stands

AFAIK, mold release is not used in injection molding polystyrene. It is a myth. Even if it was true, why would the primer not be affected by it, only the color coat over dried primer?

Martin, this sure is a very impressive model, especially seeing the last photo showing the original SnapTite model. Wow! The photography is also amazing. There is something about those photos that makes the model look real. I can't quite grasp it. If you don't mind me asking, what camera did you use, and are the photos enhanced in any way, or some effects were used on them? They just look too good!

Tamiya also makes Clear Green and Clear Smoke, but not many anodized parts are finished in green or smoke (gray).

To me anything that doesn't fit the descriptions of various forum sections would go into either the General Automotive Discussion, or the Off-Topic section. Not really an issue, but I was just surprised.

Some of us (like me) enjoy building, and seeing factory-stock models. Not everything has to be ruined by chopping it into something entirely different. I'm just kidding about the "ruined" part. I fully understand that some people enjoy modifying 1:1 and scale vehicles, and we can all co-exist.

Not sure why you put this in the section specifically for discussions about the MCM magazine.

The weathering looks really good, but I don't know if it's me, but I seem to see double - two active threads on the same model?

This is turning to be a very nice build Nick. I like it! One thing that bugs me a little is that with all the extra effort you putting into this model, I'm curious why you left the power steering and alternator simply hanging by the V-belts? Shouldn't have been too difficult to fabricate some simple brackets. I'm probably one of the few people that even noticed it. Other than that, the level of detail is outstanding.

Interesting. This looks like the same kit as the Revell (Germany) London Taxi. I have that kit and will be following this build.

We're all doomed! Humanity will destroy the planet, thus ourselves. At least I will not live long enough to witness that myself. Time to colonize other planets and spread the seeds of destruction beyond our world. Not like we aren't ready polluting the hell out of our planet. Millions and millions of IC cars/trucks constantly spewing pollutants into the atmosphere, the oil refineries creating more pollution, etc., etc.

I suspect it is a different chemical (or even molecular) composition. If you let thin CA glue age, it thickens up (but it is still usable). If there was a solvent involved, the liquid level would go down, but it stays the same, even though the liquid has thickened up. No solvent to evaporate. Or it might be something as simple as the thin CA glue is its natural state, and there are thickeners added to make it more viscous. You also mention no sink marks when using solvents, but that is not a valid comparison. Those totally evaporate after the plastic is melted. I'm talking about a cement which has some body to it (CA glue is type of acrylic resin). I don't believe styrene monomer evaporates when polyester resin hardens - it remains in the solidified resin. Acetone does evaporate from epoxy, so the epoxy remaining in the bond or mold will shrink slightly.

So does that imply that none of those barriers are effective for semi-trucks either? Do passenger electric vehicles really weight more that equivalent size IC cars? After all, they do not use heavy lead-acid batteries but lighter Lithium batteries, and they don't have the large metal engine block or transmissions of IC cars.