peteski

Thanks John. Interesting mixture of ingredients. Some of which seem like they would belong in paints or decal setting solutions, and MEK isn't listed there (unless they use an alternate chemical name I'm not familiar with). I'm not chemist but I always like to keep myself educated on the hobby chemicals I use.

There are alternatives. I'm also into N-scale model railroading. You might have a local NTRAK or T-Trak modular clubs in your area you could join. Then you build a module (2' X 4' for NTRAK or much smaller module for T-Trak) or more than one, and participate in their larger layouts. That way you just own a small piece of a layout to build and maintain. My NTRAK club assembles our layout during model train shows for a day or two of fun. We run trains and interact with the show's spectators. I also have few friends who have full size N scale home layouts. We operate them regularly and I participate in their construction and maintenance. That accounts for many fun hobby hours. Actually, I have too many hobbies!

I'm glad it worked out. I have never used that brand/type of liquid cement. Any chance that it lists its ingredients (in English)?

That's a good news, but it isn't really "chrome", but it looks like chrome. Well, I sure hope that their "chroming" service doesn't actually use electroplating thicker coat of metallic chrome or similar metal, like what Trumpeter did on few of their car kits. That stuff was almost impossible to scrape off for gluing, and it didn't really look all that good. Colloquially known as "chrome" in modeling circles, the metallic coating used for plastic model kits is not Chromium, and I hope Spotlight's service offers the same type of vacuum metalization as what is used for most model kits.

Well, no. Desiccant (by definition) absorbs moisture from ambient air, so it will prolong CA's shelf life It is not just about musty smells.

I agree, but also doubt it will help.

Testors liquid cement is mostly MEK. It will crack thin stressed styrene strips. It also has a slower evaporation rate than methylene chloride. Tenax 7R (or whatever its name was) was Methylene Chloride. It is no longer available but there are alternatives. One is to get a quart of Methlylene Chloride from amazon and have enough for the rest of your life. You could purchase hobby-size bottle of Styrene Tack-It II plastic welder from www.jmhobbysupply.com Some hobby shops stock it too (mine does). I also believe Micro_Mark also sells similar liquid cement.

Yes, some Evergreen strip styren behaves like that when under stress (being bent). But since there is no stress on the door handle, that should be no problem. Also in my experience cements based on MEK affect plastic that way, but not cement based on Methylene Chloride. Not sure how Tamiya cement affects stressed styrene (f that's what you use).

Yes, the yellowing id due to a clear protective coating applied over the metalization. This was sometimes done by some model companies.

Yes solvent cement will remelt and weld the plastic back to single piece. You can also add some more plastic if needed to build up the thickness. But make sure to wait few days to allow all the solvent to evaporate, or the plastic will stay softer.

Sure, that looks bright, smooth, and shiny, but it doesn't look anything like chrome finish. It looks more like polished aluminum. That is perfect for an aircraft which is made of aluminum, but doesn't quite look correct to simulate chromed automobile parts. Chrome has different type of reflectivity than polished aluminum. I guess not all people recognize the difference or are bothered by it.

After the last companies closed shop, the plating (well, actually aluminum vacuum metalizing) service for hobbyist is sorely missed. Hopefully Spotlight Hobbies will come through. The problem is that (like with most hobbies related businesses), nobody is getting rich doing it. It is more or less a labor of love that not many people want to deal with. There are several paint-type of chrome finishes available out there, but IMO none beat the look of the real "chrome" plating used by model companies.

That *HUGE* link to the eBay item Rodney posted it chock full of tracking info. If you don't like to be tracked, use the short version https://www.ebay.com/itm/353047744503 . No tracking! FYI, when posting a link to an eBay item, all you need is the part up to the first question mark. Trim the remainder (including that question mark).

Yes, moisture will affect the CA glue, and cause it to gradually thicken up. But if you protect it from moisture, it will remain usable for years. Bunch of useful info you didn't know about this stuff is in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate If you don't like reading technical and historical trivia, skip towards the end for the most useful info (like the shelf life). Personally I found it all interesting.

Looks like some sort of subscription-based model collection. I wouldn't mind getting few of those models because as Racine mentioned, those aren't available as plastic models. They look to be pretty well made. https://www.salvat.com/autos-inolvidables-mexico-219 Looks similar to series done by DeAgostini. Collections of diecast model cars with something in common.

Another hint is not to use what looks like (pricey) Tamiya tape for all the masking. I use it just for masking the areas close to the paint edges, then the remaining areas can be covered by less expensive Scotch blue painters tape or something similar.

True, but AI is still in its infancy. Give it a year or two and . . .

Interesting how some of the steering wheels visible through the windshield look like thin twisted ribbons.

Excellent modeling! I love the clutter in the cab. Looks super realistic. You have an excellent eye for replicating details.

Nice pain job. Reminds me of the Mako Shark Corvette. The blue-line wheels are a nice touch too.

Place the bottle upside down on your workbench, and using an eye dropper add few drops of lacquer thinner into the cap. Wait about 30 minutes and then try opening it. I used to use that trick until I got really anal and started cleaning all the paint off the bottle's lip and off the gasket/ and threads before I close the bottle.

Okay. If you want, a very simple and quick test would be to set your model on a flat surface and using your finger try to lift the model by the nose. Then with your hand lift the model by the wingtips and compare the weight you feel to how much pressure it took to lift the nose.

Maybe you misunderstood me. I never stated that the weight is evenly distributed on all the wheels in this specific instance of a tricycle gear. The main gear wheels support most of the weight of your model. I am also not discussing the actual 1:1 aircraft - just your tail-heavy model. In your model the nose wheel is now supporting very little weight. You added weight at the front of the model to counteract the heaviness of the tail section (well everything behind the main gear). You only added enough weight to bring the nose down, with the nose gear supporting very little of the total weight of the model. Many modelers seem to find this hard to visualize. None of this is related to weight distribution in cars. In the 1:1 aircraft the air frame is relatively light, and most of the weight is in those 2 large hunks of metal: engines. The are located ahead of the main gear which was placed in a location where it will bear the brunt of the total weight, with the nose gear supporting much less weight. Cars don't have wheels in the middle of the chassis like this aircraft.

It is a common misconception that the spindly nose gear supports the weight of the nose. In reality, the main gear is supporting all of the weight! Think about it. The plane is a tail-sitter. Without any added weight, the main gear and the tail sitting on the ground are supporting all the weight. The nose gear is up in the air, not supporting any weight. Now you keep adding weight to the nose (or any part of the plane forward of the main gear). The entire plane is getting heavier and heavier, and all that weight is still supported by the main gear. You keep adding weight to the point that the nose gear barely touches the ground. Again, all the weight of the plane is supported by the main gear. The nose gear is just sitting there looking pretty, barely touching the ground. Think: teeter-totter with the main gear being the pivot point. So you add a gram or two more so the nose gear doesn't accidentally come off the ground just by some nearby air movement. Now the plane sits solidly on the ground and the nose gear only supports couple of grams. The main gear is still supporting 99% of the entire model's weight. You can easily confirm that by placing your finger under the nose and gently lifting it off the ground. That shows you just how little the nose gear supports. I hope that you can visualize what I'm describing.

That's impressive! Not only that, but you are cutting and reassembling metal, not plastic.