peteski

Warning about masking tapes: some off-brands after couple of years turn brittle, the adhesive dries up and turns into powder. On other brands adhesive "melts" and starts oozing out. If you use masking tape in permanent applications (like seat belts or vinyl tops) at least use brand-name one (like 3M). They have better quality adhesive.

I usually buy a 1 gal. can and using a funnel I pour the thinner into 1 qt. can. Then I use a turkey baster to dispense from the 1 qt. can into a smaller container for my current paint job. I use a whiskey glass because is it bottom-heavy, very stable. and easy to clean. WARNING: Make sure that the turkey baster is either glass or a solvent-resistant polypropylene. Some basters I've seen are molded from clear polystyrene. Thinners such as acetone or lacquer thinner will attack and melt polystyrene. I prefer polypropylene as glass can easily shatter. Polystyrene is usually crystal clear, hard, and has a somewhat metallic sound when tapped. Polypropylene is slightly milky or cloudy in appearance and it is not as hard. It also produces a duller sound when tapped.

Looks great!

It belongs on the road! It looks realistic enough to start the engine and take it for a drive!

I have also never used any resin which doesn't have a 1:1 mix ratio. I buy the smallest possible size kits but I still wish that they made even smaller resin sets available for purchase because I do end up throwing some away. I use the "extend" gas blanket and keep it in cool place, but the moisture still gets in the resin.

That is the funny part - in commercials they use it to bond things together, but their website is http://notaglue.com/ and the FAQs on that site also mention that fact several times.

Like you already found out, there is no standard display base design shared between manufacturers (or sometimes maybe even between different production runs from the same manufacturer)! The only sure way to get the clear cover that fits your base would be to find another Hot Wheels model just like it which has the clear cover. If this particular run of the model did not include the clear cover then you just have to keep looking for a match. Or bite the bullet and just put the model in the case you bought. You could probably trim the model's base so it fits in the case you bought..

Nice build and weathering.

Frisket material (still on its backing) doesn't seem to be sturdy enough to be feed through one of those cutting machines.

For foil-casting things like emblems or door handles I used 5-minute epoxy. I don't see any viable alternatives for larger pieces. Other materials either shrink when drying, take forever to dry, or are too soft/flexible or fragile to be useful. 2-part resin is IMO the only option. It hardens by chemical reaction (not by evaporation of a solvent), it is very thin when liquid (allowing it to easily fill the mold) and hardens to a durable material.

If the sticky side has transparent adhesive (so the seat belt color is visible, you could stick it to a piece of Saran Wrap then cut the belts out. Another idea is to remove the adhesive. Naphtha (Ronsonol lighter fluid) should soften and melt this type of adhesive, but it might be messy. But the adhesive backing might also be preventing the material itself from fraying.

You too?! You're in trouble now! BTW, Tamiya tape is also not crepe . . .

I wholeheartedly agree that the metallic particles in that line of paints are way too large (especially on a 1:43 scale models)! What were they thinking when they came out with that line of paints? This problem is especially noticeable when taking photos of those models. They look like dune buggies or bass boats with metal-flake finish. As mentioned, often the metallic flakes themselves contribute to the final color of the paint (they aren't always just gold or silver). I don't think straining will work (even if you found mesh with opening small enough to prevent the particles from passing through. Why? because the mes will quickly clog with the metallic particles and won't pass any of the liquid through. The other problem is that paint is so viscous that it will not be able to easily pass through those small openings in the mesh. I have a piece of mesh on the end of the suction tube of my airbrush and it also can clog with metallci particles wile I'm painting (using metallics with very fine particles). What you could try is to let the paint sit for few days. Metallic particles usually settle down on the bottom of the jar. Then just pour the top part of the paint out into another jar. But if there is some pigment, that might also be on the bottom of the jar.

Exactly, these cutters can be used to create custom-shaped masks. Things like window masks or flames can be cut out of masking tape (which will be placed on a backing sheet then feed into the machine).

Metal cutting is out of the question. They are designed for paper and thin cardboard. But like already mentioned, many modelers use it to cut or score thin styrene. Model railroaders use them for cutting out walls of buildings.

That's odd. And the Naphtha was fresh(not reused)? I used both, Ronsonol lighter fluid and VM&P Naphtha, and when fresh out of the bottle they leave no residue at all. Now most of the time I use Naphtha for degreasing N scale model locomotive parts. Those are made from Delrin or similar plastics (resistant to most solvents).

Ah, the fun with social networking. Good luck with that.

I love the forklift, but I'm not really crazy about the lettering on the building. I don't like the typeface and the letters seem too thick. Maybe a printed sign would look better?

I use Naphtha on styrene and on ABS all the time (usually to clean/degrease it) with no ill effects. But I don't soak them in it. But I use 99% Isopropyl alcohol on clear styrene parts as Naphtha does seem to slightly dull clear plastic's surface. Alcohol does not.

If 2mm width would work (I know that is wider than 1/64") then you could try Tamiya Masking Tape for Curves

It does have a cute, tight butt!

My favorite part of building a kit is when all the finished/painted sub-assemblies are put together. Suddenly from bunch of parts you have a model. As for the fun ending when the model is finished, that is not the case for me. I often look over my finished models. I pick them up and examine them closely. I enjoy seeing them finished, and also in my mind I can easily bring back the memories of when I was building it, what were the fun parts of the build and which ones were frustrating. I can do this many times and I never get bored looking at my finished models. But I also don't look at my finished models often - only once in a while I pick up a model, enjoy its finished appearance and recall the time I was building it.

I think I heard on the news that she was somehow related to Kardashians. Zsa Zsa was also probably the first celebrity which was famous just for being famous.

And was less bitchy/had a nicer personality