peteski
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Posts posted by peteski
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No problems connecting to PayPal on my win XP and using older browsers.I paid for a dozen transactions (on and off eBay) just this week. Stay away from Win 10 spyware!
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My 1st PC for work, back in '91, had the big floppy drives for backups. The next one a year later had the 3.5 types. MS DOS though, no way was I able to get at the info stored.
My first computer used a standard portable cassette player to store programs.
It also came with 1k of memory, and an 8-bit 4MHz processor! Memory was expandable to 64k! Screen resolution was 256x192 pixels (monochrome) using regular TV set for a monitor. That was Sinclair ZX81 (which I bought as a kit and put it together myself). I added a dedicated thermal paper printer and a 300 baud modem. I used to call BBSs and I could read the words faster than the modem received them. Later I added on an aftermarket dual 5.25" floppy drive. Single-Sided/Single-Density. Then I built a full-size keyboard and light pen for it which actually worked! Those were fun times where you could fully understand the inner-workings of your computer. I learned BASIC and Z80 machine languages on it.Here is a British ad for it (I got mine in US).
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While all the detailed explanations and opinions are very good, how about a very simple explanation: Show Quality in models is like Show Quality in real cars. If the real or model car is worth of being entered (and be competitive) in a show, I would consider it Show Quality. That is not to say that if the vehicle (model or real) is not up to show quality, it can still be entered in the show. But it most likely will not win any trophies. But as long as the owner (of the real car or model) had fun building it then that is the most important consideration.
As far as Harry P's models go, those would be in yet another category: Concourse Quality models!
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Has anyone found a consistent way to chrome resin cast parts?
Yeah!
Thoroughly clean them (so there are not traces of the mold release agent) and send them out to one of the vacuum metalizing companies. Of course of the surface finish on those is not perfect the imperfections will also be visible in the final product.
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So my question is this: why do I have to put up with people who seem to think it's OK to "sheet" in my yard (which is totally BS anyway), or people who think it's OK to help themselves to MY belongings...just because I'm probably not home?
Because this is the word we live in. No strict laws or even guns will make any difference. There are plenty of f-wads out there who simply just don't care if they go to prison or even get shot if they do something bad. The simply don't think about the consequences of their actions. They just don't think at all.
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Has anyone tried using the "decal-it" craft stuff? You coat the face of the artwork you want to use, then use warm water to gently wash away the paper backing leaving just the ink. Then trim it to fit in the area you want it after it's dry.
Seems like it might work on these to help get them a little thinner, also if you have used some of these type of items you'll sometimes have the white edge of the cut of the paper show up, a tip is to use a sharpie and just run it lightly along just the edge of the paper. It will hide the white edge and won't show up when you're done.
If it is printed on any standard CYMK consumer printer and the colors used are other than black then it will need to be applied over white colored surface or the colors will not show properly. The CYM inks are translucent and they need white background to show their true colors. That is why Alps MicroDry printers (which can lay down a layer of white ink under the translucent CYM inks are so highly prized in the modeling world.
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This is the first time I've seen these and I like what I see. Too bad they were not successful. How many model kits allow you to enter a box-stock model directly into the diorama category at a model show?
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Ebay IS a gigantic flea-market, was from the get-go, anybody who doesn't get that is a moron, and I don't think the thousands upon thousands of "stores" selling cheap Chinese carp have enhanced the Ebay experience one iota. In many cases, it detracts from the experience, as one sometimes has to wade through countless listings for knockoff garbage to find the one real-deal gem one is after.
EXACTLY!
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I don't think "stores" has anything to do with this. Back when eBay was fairly new you could do no wrong as a seller. I used to do big business in old car brochures. I'd spend Saturday listing items, and every few listings I'd hit refresh and the stuff I had listed in the last hour already had bids. Everything I auctioned sold with competitive bidding and some surprising winning numbers. What happened? Market saturation. It happened slowly but eventually I couldn't give away the same items. And this was before stores. You could do a search and there'd be dozens of the same item, with some folks asking a dollar starting bid, and lucky if it got that. I wasn't depending on eBay for a living, just for some extras. So when it dried up, it wasn't worth my time any longer so I stopped selling.
The whole time it was really good, I had two thoughts. One was that if I spent my full time doing eBay, what would be the potential... and my second thought was that it was too good to last. That turned out to be the right one! And those who put all their eggs in one basket lost. Shame on them.
I don't doubt your statement but I'm also puzzled how with that market saturation and all is it that eBay has more items listed than ever before? Somebody is selling this stuff (in all categories). Or are you saying that only certain markets are saturated and there are now more than ever sellers peddling their cheap new wares on eBay? It seems like eBay is trying to be Amazon and vice versa.
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Same thing happened to us! Scale Auto wouldn't publish ANYTHING from us, while Model Cars Magazine always featured our event in the MCM Contest Annual. So, we gave up on SA (no E). One other thing: MCM has always given us gift subscriptions for Best of Show winners and raffle prizes, they've always provided us (and all the other shows) ample, free pre-event promotion, while SAE always insisted on charging big bucks for the slightest want-ad type mention. So, we gave up on SA (no E) along time ago . . . with no noticeable loss.
Funny how these things work...
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You need to vote!
Duh, brain fart! I selected my vote but forgot to hit Submit.
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Real - the photo was taken from an interesting angle but every detail of the car says "real" to me. If it ends up being a model then it has to be much larger than 1/24 and whoever built is is an excellent modeler.
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I don't think it's possible to shake a can hard enough to cause those bumps. There has to be a more logical explanation.
Well then, it must be supernatural dude!
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This is what I find strange about ebay believe it or not. I was not able to bid on an item and did not know why. I called and asked if something was wrong with my account. They told me no that that seller requires a phone number because he likes to call people he he sells to. I asked why they allowed that and it wasn't against their policy for any seller to require a phone number. A seller can also block who ever they please for any reason they please. Sounds like the seller is more important then the buyer..
Wow! That's f-up! Since the time I joined in 1999, eBay has basically obfuscated most of the personal information about the sellers and buyers. Supposedly for security and privacy reasons. I used to be able to scope out competing bidders by looking at they bidding habits, etc. but now you don't see any useful info about competing bidders (except number of feedbacks and other fairly useless info). Maybe eBay does care more about the sellers (since that is where the fees come from), but OTOH seller cannot leave a negative feedback for a buyer but buyer can leave a negative for a seller.
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What I DON'T understand is the constant need to check and update one's social network "status" on a minute-to-minute basis...and it's this that appears to me to be what most of the smartphone addicts are doing.
I
As you said, it is an
additionaddiciton. I seem to recall reading that a person produces a bit of dopamine whenever the phone notifies them (makes sound or vibrates) that there is new contents available to look at. They can't help but to look at it. -
Seeing the cutaway view of a Tamiya spray can in another thread reminded me about this problem. So what is the verdict Brian? Were you able to ease-up in the shaking force and not damage the bottom of the can?
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How about using that clear-coated wire that is used to tie down car bodies in display boxed kits? You get the clear outside part and the metal rim inside it.
If the clear "insulation" diameter is close enough then I think this would result in a perfect representation of those clear steering wheels. The real ones also have a steel rod inside them. Those tie-downs can be straightened out and then bent to any diameter you need.
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Sure is a lot of tedious work.
You should try doing it in 1:43 scale!
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I have never been successful bonding Delrin to anything. I employ mechanical bonds (drilling and pinning) or heat-welding (melting) parts together.
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A 2016 issue featuring the 2015 contests?
For several years my club used to send photos to MCM with out contest photos but they were never published (while Scale Auto Contest Annual always features several pages of our photos), so we gave up on MCM.
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Then, there are those who prefer a textured, natural look
Wasn't there an old SNL skit (in the '80s) featuring a Chia-car and Clay-car (body work on that one was a breeze)?
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Usually, to get the listing fee waived, you have to have some sort of monthly subscription. Be it one of their sponsored listing programs or store subscription. If you want to add a reserve price on an auction, they charge you. They get you at the end when your item sells. I usually end up paying eBay $80-100 a month in fees on about $900 in sales.
They do run sales from time to time where the casual seller can get free listings though.
Ebay makes (and always did make) money in the end - I never questioned that.
But the new fee structure enables BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH like what I described above to go on. Someone is able to re-list the same extremely overpriced item for years at a time without having to pay anything to eBay (until it sells). That's my beef with eBay.
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Here is a good example of the craziness the current eBay fee structure creates (no listing or initial price fees whether the item sells or not).
I've been watching this little gem on eBay for over 2 years now. Listed for $129 with no takers. They keep re-listing it continuously while in the meantime dozens of the same model are being sold in a range of $10- $40 dollars. Here is one currently available for $30 BYN.
Why do I care? Couple of years ago I started looking for that model (I used to own a full-size '77 T-Bird). I found that $129 listing but I kept on looking for something more affordable and found one for $15. When I asked the $129 seller what makes their model worth $129, they (as expected) ignored my comment. So I decided to watch their listing and they are still looking for that sucker who doesn't know any better and will buy a $129 Matchbox-size diecast toy.
If eBay had their old fee structure still in place, this type of activity would not be happening. It is as simple as that. And nobody can convince me that the $129 seller is not simply looking for a sucker who has more brains than money. I don't think that this is what "the American Way" to do business means.
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Caswell Plating has a wide range of small electroplating kits for hobbyists (and lots of supplies for larger jobs too).
It also came with 1k of memory, and an 8-bit 4MHz processor! Memory was expandable to 64k! Screen resolution was 256x192 pixels (monochrome) using regular TV set for a monitor. That was 
I added a dedicated thermal paper printer and a 300 baud modem. I used to call BBSs and I could read the words faster than the modem received them. Later I added on an aftermarket dual 5.25" floppy drive. Single-Sided/Single-Density. Then I built a full-size keyboard and light pen for it which actually worked! Those were fun times where you could fully understand the inner-workings of your computer. I learned BASIC and Z80 machine languages on it.
Why no kit plating chrome?
in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Posted
Were they prepped (cleaned) properly? Was their surface as smooth as equivalent plastic parts would be? What were the specifics of the problem? Vacuum-metalizing will not hide any flaws. It will actually make the flaws more apparent.