peteski

Well, the rubber tires in Japanese kits have a correct look. But yes, vinyl tires don't look very realisitc. But little rubbing using scouring poweder or some Dullcote makes them look like rubber. And of course if one models a car at a show with shined-up tires, shiny vinyl works just fine.

You're not the first nor last to do that. Other restricted items also get sent via Media Mail.

And they would look like they are made from black styrene. They are molded usually in neutral colors (like gray or beige) because that is what military modelers prefer and they are on the same tree as other parts. But even if molded in black , they would still need to be painted to properly represent the color and surface sheen of rubber tires.

The pressure question is not a one-size-fits all. It depends on many factors. What type of paint, how viscous it is, what type of surface you are painting and how large it is, and what size nozzle is being used are just some variables. You will find yourself changing the pressure, paint flow and distance to the object being painted depending on the specific scenario.

They do have a minimum order (250 sheets), and will be quite pricey (especially if multiple colors are needed). Providing a print-ready artwork (in vector format) makes it less expensive but still pricey. See http://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=Custom for more info.

The plasticizer (chemical which makes the vinyl tires soft) has leached out of them and got absorbed into the polystyrene fenders, making them soft. I don't believe it will ever harden. Like Don said, the only good way to deal with the problem is to remove (grind away) the softened plastic and repair the damage using new styrene or putty, or both. Just like a dentist cleaning out a cavity before applying the filling material.

What printing process is the printing company using? Silk screening, UV-curable ink-jet, or some other method?

Actually, all the Japanese-made model car kits I have (Tamiya, Aoshima, Fujimi, Otaki, etc.) have tires made from rubber. Satco tires were also rubber (Japanese-made). They even smell like rubber! But just like real rubber, after about a decade of being exposed to air, the surface starts to deteriorate and it hardens a bit too. Why are tires molded using soft materials? I suspect that has something to do with being able to demold them from the mold cavities with all the sidewall details, tread and sometimes hollow center on a single-piece tire. If they were hard plastic they would never come out of the mold. There are companies (mostly 1:35 military vehicles) that make tires out styrene. But to get the same level of detail as the soft tires, those hard plastic tires are made up from a sandwich of several pieces. Usually each sidewall is a separate piece and then there are several rings with the tread detail stacked between the sidewalls. And they have to be painted to look like tires.

Excellent photos!

I posted a link which goes to USPS where the restrictions are clearly stated. My statement about the slowness is also factual. If someone wants to use Media Mail for other items, it is their choice (not mine).

How about Replicas & Miniatures Company of Maryland? Norm sells couple of different types of motorcycle wheels with etched spokes, resin rims and tires.

Well, you can't always depend on that. But it wasn't even needed: The heritage of the car in question was obvious.

Media Mail is the "slow boat" mail - the cheapest and slowest. Probably send via a yak! You get what you paid for.

Yeah! I noticed in many recent programs that background music has become foreground music, and you can barely hear what is being discussed. It is very silly and I don't know who and why they decided to start doing it. Must be them new Millennial sound engineers. They are so used to multitasking that their brains must somehow find a way to separate the music from the speech. Or maybe simply nobody is simply watching the program to verify that everything is ok.

Yes there is - you can upload photos to your threads here. Admins generously lifted the upload limits so all your photos for the posts in this forum can also be hosted here. This means that the photos will be visible for as long as this forum is online. No more broken photo links!

Here are the various shipping options explained (including Media Mail). https://www.usps.com/ship/mail-shipping-services.htm There is a link for "show detail" about each. Click on "show detail" in the Media Mail section for . . . more details and restrictions.

As soon as I saw it I knew it was one from the VW family. It does have very strong lines of the Golf/Rabbit family, but the grille-less nose, fender-fuel-door, and the rear quarters louvers say "rear engine".

I have both of those pictured kits. And the 190 too. I bought them because I like the unique subject matter. The hood is attached to the body by a thin layer of plastic - it is designed to be easily separated. The wheels are undersize (IIRC, they are more like 12 or 13" wheels). Then the tires make up for it, so they have tall sidewalls. I have been contemplating having new (correctly sized) wheels 3-D printed. I would also like to 3-D print the louvers in the side windows behind the B-pillar.

The ones I use are Sakura Micron markers. https://sakuraofamerica.com/pen-archival# Not sure if those are used for Gundam stuff.

I usually get mine at https://www.sciplus.com/p/CLEAR-ZIPSEAL-BAG-8-X-10-PKG-100_41604

I think most people experiencing the cans oozing just throw them away. It might be a good idea for all the people who had this happen to them (in this thread) to open up a case with RPM (Rustoleum) to maybe open their eyes to the fact that there is a problem. With the advent of the internet, it is easy to notify the company about possible problem.

Thanks! In the 1:6 Harley Fat Boy still unassembled?

So we were all partially correct. Rapidograph is a type of a technical pen. Some are filled with India ink. I sometimes use very fine type of marker for accenting panel or door lines, or for some precision detail-painting.

My post stated "I have build models from 1:6 Tamiya Harley Fat Boy bike to 1:160 Photoetched brass vehicle kits from Micron-Art (and pretty much most of the scales in between)." That includes 1:43.

Looking at the overall body, the gas filler cap and the headlight bezels I know what make it is, but I'm too lazy to find the specifics. I guess I'll find out how close I was on Friday.