peteski

Sorry guys - I had computer problems and couldn't post til today. Yes, it is a model: the old ROG Peterbilt Stepp's CAN-DO wrecker kit. More photos and a writeup are at the URL theotherunicorn provided. The votes were 41/59 (real/kit). Since the subject of the model was a real wrecker I thought it would be a good challenge. I'm sure that the small photo did help to make the kit look more real. Thanks for the votes and compliments. Ken, I'm curious, how did you find that webpage?

Most of the craziness can be blamed on eBay pricing structure for the listings. IN the old day there was an insertion fee, fee for the amount of opening bid, and then the fee for the selling price. The insertion fee had to be paid even if the item didn't sell. Sellers were much more reasonable and careful with the items they listed and their prices. Fast forward to today. eBay has no insertion or the initial amount fees. If the item doesn't sell, it can be re listed for free again and again. This leads to sellers coming up with some very strange auction listings which they keep on re-listing (if they don't sell) for months at a time. it is all free! I have been watching one listing for over a year. A MotorMax 1:64 diecast car which often shows up on eBay and is usually sold in a price range of $5-$40. But this seller wants $130!! He is simply looking for a sucker. I did contact him asking why such a high price when other examples (in a similar condition) sell for much lower price but as expected I got no reply. Free market baby - looking for suckers. And then there are those sellers who break apart rare old kits, just to sell individual parts from them for big bucks. Don't even get me started on that one.

There are 2 types of spray can caps: one type locks onto the inside collar on the can (the metal part where the spray nozzle is) and the other one locks onto the outside collar of the can. I have only seen the vent hole on the caps which latch onto the outside collar of the can. Maybe the outside collar cap seal is more airtight than the other type (so it needs that vent hole)? Harry, make note to yourself: never decant spray can paint into the cap!

Interesting. No barcodes or part numbers? That has not been my experience. Here is a photo with some cans in my workshop (front and back of the labels). Both One Coat Cans are fairly recent (bought in the last few years). The other cans are much older (around 35 years old) They all have both barcodes and part numbers on the labels.

Last night I tried the Google image search and it wasn't as good (or smart) as I expected based on what I read here. It does rely on the file name (or asks for some additional hints).

I built my share of plastic models of sailing ships but never a wooden one. Wow!

I built that model about 30 years ago (back then I wasn't worried too much about fit problems). I don't remember now, but I think that I bent the center post forward so the glass fit better. Take the front part of the roof which is supposed to snap onto the windshield frame and see how the 3 holes in it line up with the windshield frame. Maybe that will give you a reference as to how much to bend the center windshield post.

Tomytec name has been around for a while - they usually make model railroad items. A good breakdown of the company history and their brands is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomy Tomica （トミカ）die-cast – model vehiclesTomix – the model railway brand of Tomytec, a subsidiary of Takara Tomy

The original issue of the KISS Van in the 70's was painted using that technique. The painting instructions were included with the kit.

While it is not really on-topic, the above made me post this picture:

How do you search Google using a jpg image as the search pattern? I never heard of that. EDIT: nevermind I just figured it out. Yeah, I can see how this makes cheating easy! We sure live in amazing times!

One thing I don't like in those metallic One Coat Lacquer paints is the metallic flake size. Those seem to be made for 1:1 cars - way too large. On a 1:25 scale model they look like those sparkly metal-flake fiberglass bodies on speed boats or dune buggies. This especially shows up in closeup photos of the model. Unless one is going for that metal-flake look, metallic model paints has to have much finer metal particles to look "right".

I think that the UPC barcode labels have been around since at least the 1970s. Unless the cans are *REALLY* old, I'm surprised that there aren't UPS barcodes on them. In that case, go with the spoon test.

Harry, why not employ a simple solution to the Google search problem and continue with this fun quiz? Once you find a photo simply rename the image using some generic name like Photo01.jpg and then use that photo in the quiz. That eliminates any possibility of searching for file name.

Since I created this poll on Thursday, I'll give an answer on Thursday, Dec. 10.

One word: dehydrator. Get a food dehydrator with temperature control or one which does not go over 120 deg. F. Once you start using one you will wonder how you ever got by without one.

1. Spray each one on a plastic spoon, let them dry and see which one is which. 2. Look for a part number or at the UPC barcode on the label (they should be different on each can) and Google those numbers.

Shapeways FXD-printed parts usually have some wax leftover from the printing process. That wax needs to be removed before gluing or painting the parts. Heptane (sold as Bestine rubber cement thinner in arts stores) works the best to remove the wax residue. Naphtha (Ronsonol lighter fluid, or also sold as VM&P Naphtha in the hardware stores) also does a good job. Soak the parts in one of those liquids overnight and the wax should be dissolved. When the pars are clean they become white in appearance. At that point hey are ready for glue and paint. Both liquids are flammable - use common sense when dealing with them.

I never knew that the TILT logo was actually Marui - thanks for this info. I have couple of their other kits (somewhere in my stash). BTW, TILT has nothing to do with Hitler, Nazis or PC.

While the 1:35 scale was a dead giveaway that this model was geared towards military builders, the kit's numbering scheme confirms that. The kit MC-001 (first release) is the military version of the model and the 002 and 003 are civilian. That is a great little kit. I love the woody decals! I actually love oddball models (like station wagons). I wonder if the real car was ever sold in U.S. under another model name?

Yeah, we're all screwed! I have enough unbuilt models and modeling supplies in my stash to last me for a very long time, I'm going to lock myself in my basement workshop and start building! But seriously, seeing where this world is heading, that's what I would like to do.

Funny thing is that many of the older car emblems were written in cursive style (or close to it). So kids of today can't even read those?

Real or a model? Vote here.

You can use Testors Dullcote to make the windows look dusty. Or for dirty look you can probably airbrush them with diluted paint (like you used for those rusty washes on the body).

IIRC, it is actually the other way around: K&S took over Special Shapes Co. several years ago, but the end result is the same.