peteski

Looking at the photo you questioned, and at Harry's finished model photos, I think that the rod with a loop-handle on the end is for manually throwing the turnouts. When I used to ride trolleys in Poland in the '70s I used to love to sit up front and watch the motorman drive it. Every once in a while the remotel-controlled turnout would not throw as expected. He would stop the trolley car and grab a rod just like the one on this trolley (it was stored inside the trolley). Then he would go out to the turnout and stick the rod in a slot in a metal cover over the switch machine and manually throw the turnout to the desired route. BTW, nice job on the model Harry!

I believe that Modelhaus "chrome" is all done by the the Little Model Kar Company. Of course the finish will only be as good as the surface of the part itself, so Modelhaus resin parts are really well done.

Thinning paint for airbrushing, the air pressure and needle opening are all something that everybody does a bit different: a skill that you learn on your own. If the paint is thick, you could try to open the needle up more instead of raising air pressure. You might find a a setting which will work for you. Or just add more thinner.

It is not about attacking the details - if any glue oozes out from the perimeter of the lens to under the lens, it will fill in some of the delicate engraving.

Ah, that explains why I haven't encountered that phrase. I don't know if I already mentioned this earlier in the thread but I hate when "ask" is used instead of "question". For example, someone says "What is the ask?", instead of saying "What is the question?". Or "The ask is..." Instead of "I would like to ask you...". That really gets under my skin (coming from my manager during company meetings).

Irregardles of the fact that the word is in the dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless ) , I don't like it either. I never heard that phrase, and I don't even know in what context it would be used.

Reflex could mean that it changes color depending on the viewing angle. But it could also be just a fancy name.

The Novus system (all 3 types) are specifically designed for polishing plastic, so they are the way to go. Toothpaste is an alternative but it has to be white (not the clear gels). The white stuff is abrasive in the toothpaste.

There is a lot of propellant (propane or butane) dissolved in the paint in aerosol cans. That has to degas before you can use that paint for airbrushing. I never totally leave the jar open - I put the lid on but leave it loose. Decanted paint is usually thicker in consistency than what you normally use in an airbrush.

Guy like you doesn't have a well-stocked workshop?

You do have a point.

You think that it was difficult to paint? You should try to paint (and decal) one of these models. The coin is about 18mm in diameter. But seriously, you did a wonderful job on that Mercedes! Congratulations! About 30 years ago built the 4-passenger version of that Mercedes (which was produced by Pocher before your version of model). At that time I built it mostly stock, so it is nearly not as good as yours. It also took me about a year to complete.

Funny, several years ago I bough (from HLJ) the set identical to the bp-770 packaged IIRC in "Modeler's" brand package. I have to dig out that set to verify. One thing I don't care for is that the engraving is done on the inside of the lens. While that is how real lenses are, on models this makes it makes more difficult to glue them in while trying to preserve the delicate engraving.

I was told that no mold release agent is used when injection-molding styrene parts. Go figure. If Art is familiar with injection-molding styrene process I hope he chimes in.

IIRC, this engine kit was displayed at the last NNL East (along with the entire visible car frame model). It was displayed on a table along the wall with windows. That was a pretty cool looking model!

Strange that it was cloudy when you decanted it. But if it was humid at that time, the moisture could have also mixed with the decanted liquid (as it really cool down when being decanted).

This is the mistake I warned about in my earlier post (just in reverse). DM ignition wire specs show the overall diameter (of the insulation, not the wire). The wire inside is much thinner than 30 AWG. Remember that in electrical terms the wire gauge is just the wire diameter (not the outside diameter of the insulation) where as in modeling terms nobody cares about the diameter of the wire or its gauge but the overall diameter of the insulation.

As usual, superb job and documentation. However, I'm wondering if those guards aren't a bit out of scale (too thick). They look like they are about scale 2" in diameter.Wouldn't they be closer in thickness to those handrails you made from brass rod?

Um, hasn't that already happen to the large extent? How many truly independent car makers can you name in today's word? There is some serious platform (or even entire vehicle) sharing going on, even between what seems to be rival manufacturers. Pontiac Vibe? No, Toyota Matrix. Ford Probe? No, Mazda! I can go on and on. Platform sharing (at least within the older car companies) and badge-engineering has been going on for decades.

But remember that the 30AWG is the measurement of the wire itself, not of the insulation. The insulation makes the overall diameter much thicker. So IIRC, 30AWG is 0.010" in diameter, but with insulation it is more like 0.016" diameter. Having said that, I use 30 AWG wire-wrapping wire for my electronic projects and I also sell it to my model club members for model detailing. Here is a model where that wire was used as spark plug wire.

Eh, they copied the original true "box" concept of the SCION xB (Toyota bB). My white 2006 xB looks more like a fridge or a toaster than the Cube. To me the Cube designers "jumped the shark" - it to me looks like something out of a Roger Rabbit movie - a cartoon caricature of a car.

Very well done model! And let's not forget that this truck is in 1:35 scale, so all the details are much finer than the standard 1:24 scale.

Large resources? I have to remember you. I always follow up on my communications and thank for favors. I am more than happy to reimburse the person helping me postage and any other costs they incurred in the process. I also have mixed experience with people whom I helped. Some are grateful, few never send thanks. I do know how you feel. But so far, this hasn't stopped me from helping whenever I can. Maybe that makes me a sucker. As far as the latest experience goes, maybe the person you were helping died or lost their Internet connection> Just sayin' ...

I'm old-fashion - I come here to read and to leave posts, not for live chatting. I like the threaded nature of online forums. Or maybe I'm just not very chatty.

No new methods I can think of, but there are plenty of older methods which work fine. Bleach is not on the top of my list, BTW. Any lye (sodium hydroxide) based solution works the best: "Purple stuff" or the original Easy Off oven cleaner (not the fume-free stuff). What is good about those chemicals is that they also strip the clear lacquer under the "chrome" (which is actually thin aluminum coating). If you go to the Tips, Tricks and Tutorial section, there is a lengthy sticky thread on how to remove "chrome". Lots of ideas there.